‘Buy one, free one’ campaign to encourage city folk to use public transport

IN an effort to encourage more city folk to use public transportation, the Bukit Gasing assemblyman’s office is collaborating with Rapid Rail for a “My30 Buy One, Free One” campaign.

The campaign taps into the existing My30 unlimited travel pass, whereby Malaysians only need to pay RM30 for 30 days of unlimited rides on all rail and bus services operated by Rapid KL – MRT, LRT, Monorail, BRT and feeder buses.

My30 is only sold or activated via MyKad or MyTentera with Touch 'n Go function, or MyRapid concession cards for students below the age of 12.

“Those who purchase the My30 pass under our campaign will be given a voucher to redeem a free pass for the following month,” said Bukit Gasing constituency Penggerak Belia Selangor (PeBS) chief Kusaaliny Mahendran.

“What this means is that they pay only RM30 to use Rapid KL’s public transportation services for two consecutive months.

“This voucher can only be redeemed at the counter set up specifically for this campaign.

“We’re kicking it off at the Phileo Damansara MRT Station in Petaling Jaya, then will move to other train stations in the constituency,” said Kusaaliny, whose youth wing is leading and subsidising the initiative.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran said the campaign is open to Malaysians of all ages and even those residing or working outside Petaling Jaya.

“The main target is the working crowd, but students are also welcome,” he said.

“The campaign’s objective is to increase public transportation usage and reduce private car usage, as more people are going back to office to work.

“An increase in public transportation usage also means there is less traffic on the road.”

By purchasing and activating the My30 pass and voucher, Rajiv said, it would also encourage users to start their commitment to using public transportation immediately.

Puteri Norashegin Mior Yaakob was thrilled to find out about the “My30 Buy One, Free One” offer and could not wait to spread the word to her colleagues.

“I take the MRT train from Kajang, and my fare is usually about RM7 per day,” said the operations manager whose office is at Phileo Damansara 1.

“The My30 offers a lot of savings, and the campaign allows me to save even more with a free one-month pass.”

The 38-year-old was a regular user of the My30 pass earlier this year until movement restrictions and work-from-home order were imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Present to lend their support were several Selangor PeBS exco members, who said the campaign would encourage working adults to save a little more or use their salary for other essentials, as transportation costs tend to take up a major portion of people’s wages.

The My30 unlimited travel pass, which was announced under Budget 2021 last year, is ongoing until Dec 31. The last date to redeem the campaign’s free voucher code is Nov 30.

The counter for the “My30 Buy One, Free One” campaign is located at Phileo Damansara 1, Jalan 16/11, Petaling Jaya (opposite Pakcik Kopitiam, near Phileo Damansara MRT Station).

It is open until Friday (Oct 8), from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

A counter will be opened at the Taman Jaya and Asia Jaya LRT stations at a later date. For details, visit https://tinyurl.com/7vj5ehdf