PETALING JAYA, 16 Mei -- Presiden merangkap Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan Prasarana, Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah (kiri), dan Pengarah Eksekutif UNGCMYB, Faroze Nadar (kanan), menandatangani memorandum persefahaman (MoU) bagi memperkukuh komitmen terhadap kelestarian vendor ESG Hub melibatkan 5,000 PKS, hari ini di Menara Prasarana. -- fotoBERNAMA (2025) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA
PETALING JAYA: Prasarana Malaysia Bhd will roll out more electric buses and upgrade its rail infrastructure to help Malaysia meet its national target of having 40% of journeys made using public transport by 2030, says its president and group chief executive Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah.
He was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s comment on Tuesday that the public transport usage rate of 25% in the country is low compared to other developed countries.
“We have taken note of the DPM’s statement. In fact, we have presented to him the full infrastructure agenda to upgrade public transportation the next day, after he made the remarks,” he said at a press conference following the launch of Vendor ESG Hub at Prasarana’s headquarters here yesterday.
In terms of rail expansion, Azharuddin said the Shah Alam line (formerly known as LRT3) is expected to be completed this year.
“The Shah Alam LRT line will incorporate significant eco-friendly features when it opens in September.
“These include smart LED lighting that adjusts to natural light, a smart air-conditioning system which is expected to reduce energy consumption by 32% and installation of solar photovoltaic infrastructure at the train stabling yards,” he said, adding that the number of buses will also be increased.
Azharuddin said Ahmad Zahid, who also chairs the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion, also made the decision to create more dedicated bus lanes.
“We are also working closely with the Housing and Local Government Ministry to upgrade bus stops and pedestrian facilities so that the public can conveniently access train and bus stops,” he said.
Azharuddin also said Prasarana is targeting to increase ridership on its own network (covering Rapid KL, Rapid Penang and Rapid Kuantan, among others) to 1.5 million each day by next year when compared to the current ridership of 1.3 million.
On May 13, Ahmad Zahid in a Facebook post said Singapore recorded a public transport usage rate of 67%, with the corresponding figures for Seoul and Tokyo at 63% and 73%, respectively.
The event at the Prasarana headquarters revolved around the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Prasarana and UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB).
The MOU pertains to the launch of Vendor ESG Hub – a dedicated platform to introduce sustainable business practices to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The new online platform will build capacity for Prasarana’s 5,000 SME vendors by providing access to training, tools and resources focused on best practices of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
ESG is a framework for evaluating a company’s performance beyond financial metrics by also looking at impact on the environment, relationships with stakeholders and governance structures.
UNGCMYB executive director Faroze Nadar said for a business to play a truly transformative role in creating social and environmental impact, it “must have head, hands and most importantly, heart”.
“Often the focus tends to be on the head, the strategy, and the hand is the implementation,” he said.
