Getting more people on public transport

ONE may have heard the quote “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation,” which is popularly attributed to Gustavo Petro, the current president of Colombia.

However, the person who really said it is a former mayor of Colombia’s capital city Bogota, Enrique Peñalosa Londoño, who is credited with starting the construction of the first mass transit system in Bogotá and for promoting public transport, bike use and public space in urban areas.

Translated from Spanish, the original quote is: “An advanced city is not one where the poor can get around by car, but one where even the rich use public transportation.”

This obviously does not apply to Malaysia where many, particularly the rich, place a lot of pride and face value on their cars.

According to Statista, a survey on transport conducted in Malaysia in January 2023 found that around 52.84% of the respondents preferred to travel with their private automobiles while only 18% chose public transport.

Raising the price of petrol, taxes on private cars and road tax would break people’s affinity with cars and make them want to use public transport.

Implementation of congestion tax on private vehicles entering cities and major towns, reducing the number of parking spots and raising parking fees in the inner cities would also help.

Taxes on electric vehicles (EV) should be raised when their usage reaches a critical mass. Revenue generated by the increase in taxes could be used to pay for road maintenance as these vehicles are heavier due to the batteries they use.

Providing free public transport to citizens under 25 years of age could also get more people to use public transport and curb the need for a car.

Reduce public transport fares by 20% to 30% during off-peak hours and on weekends and public holidays.

For the first- to last-mile travel dilemma, build more walkways, bicycle lanes and parking areas for bicycles (this is often overlooked).

Operate smaller and more fuel-efficient buses on routes with fewer riders, and make use of the existing infrastructure. There are three bus stops in my housing area that were built many years ago but there is no bus service there.

These suggestions will neither cost billions of ringgit to implement nor will they cause social and environmental degradation compared to the building of more highways for private transport.

KOO WEE HON

Petaling Jaya