No more bicycles on northern sector Komuter

KUALA LUMPUR: Cycling enthusiasts planning to go on cycling tours in the north will have to rethinl their plans.

From Monday, KTM Bhd (KTMB) will bar bicycles, including foldable ones, from its Komuter trains plying the northern route from Butterworth to Padang Besar, including the return journey.

In a statement yesterday, KTMB said the sector had seen a huge increase in passenger load since it was introduced in 2015.

“We initially allowed bicycles since the northern sector Komuter service began in September 2015. When we started the service, we only had about 500 passengers daily, but we now have around 11,000 passengers daily,” it said.

Ironically, KTMB launched a Ride and Ride programme in June last year to encourage cyclists to bring their bicycles on board.

The programme proved to be successful, as many people took the opportunity to go on cycling tours in places like Butterworth, Taiping, Gurun and Padang Besar.

Over a nine-month period from last June to March this year, 10,173 passengers brought their bicycles with them on the northern Komuter.

“This ban is in the interest of passenger safety and comfort, following public feedback. We thank all the associations and cycling support groups for using our services, and would like to apologise for the latest inconvenience,” the statement said, adding that bicycles are still allowed on the Butterworth-Padang Rengas-Butterworth sector.

Predictably, KTMB’s move did not go down well with some enthusiasts.

“When your passenger load increases, the logical move would be to increase capacity by adding coaches, or increasing the service frequency. Banning cyclists is a wrong move,” said Joseph Tan, 59, who has gone on cycling tours all over the region.

He added that cycling deserves all the support it can get as it fosters a healthy lifestyle while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and helping to keep traffic conditions manageable.

Haniff Ghazali, secretary to the Malaysia Railway Industry Association, is also against the ban.

“KTMB should formulate a system so that cyclists can use the fleet for both work and play. As the sole rail service provider for interstate and intercity travel, KTMB can’t afford to lose passengers who are into ecotourism and healthy lifestyles,” he said.

“While current six-car ETS trainsets are not optimised to carry bicycles, banning them on the grounds of comfort is not the answer. How about large wheelchairs then? Will KTMB ban them as well? I urge KTMB to creatively address the needs of all market segments.”