KUALA LUMPUR: The Transport Ministry admits it faces funding and resource constraints in providing more facilities to encourage public transport use.
Its minister Anthony Loke said the ministry is adopting a cross-agency approach involving other ministries, government bodies, and local authorities to strengthen the public transport ecosystem nationwide.
"The public transport ecosystem must be holistic, not only focusing on bus services but also on supporting infrastructure such as bus stops and pedestrian walkways.
"However, this requires cooperation from all parties. The ministry will help where possible, but we face limitations in terms of funding and resources,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Oct 27).
Loke was responding to Khoo Poay Tiong (PH–Kota Melaka), who asked about the ministry’s role in ensuring the provision of more bus stops to improve accessibility for bus users.
Loke said the ministry is promoting a public-private partnership model to expand the number of bus stops, where private companies are allowed to display advertisements at the stops they fund and maintain.
"Not all bus stops need to be built by the government or local councils. We are introducing a programme where private companies can adopt bus stops. This will create a win-win partnership and help strengthen the infrastructure at the ground level," he said.
Earlier, Loke told the House that as of August, a total of 49,611 people have benefited from the BAS.MY free bus service, which is offered to senior citizens, school students, university students, and persons with disabilities (OKU).
He said 78% of the users are senior citizens, followed by school students (13%), OKU (6%), and university students (3%).
"The highest number of users were recorded in Johor Bahru (16,832), followed by Kuching (10,215), Ipoh (7,304), Seremban (6,310), and Melaka (4,668)," he said.
The BAS.MY service, introduced under the Stage Bus Service Transformation Programme (SBST), currently operates in Kangar, Kota Setar, Ipoh, Seremban, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, and Kuching, and is being rolled out in stages in Kota Kinabalu.
Loke also said the ministry was aware that certain services still operate with few passengers due to route coverage and public awareness.
"Some buses must continue to run according to schedule even when ridership is low. The purpose of the BAS.MY service is to connect key trunk routes, such as between Kangar and Alor Setar.
"If a route is found to be uneconomical or has too few passengers, the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) can review and adjust it accordingly," he said.
Loke added that public awareness must also be strengthened to encourage more Malaysians to use bus services provided under the programme.
