A rapidly-broken pledge

Athi Veeranggan (Malaysiakini.com)

Jul 31, 07 4:52pm

The official guarantee on RapidPenang bus fares has gone bust - commuters will have to pay more for travel over longer distances when the150-strong fleet plies the streets from tomorrow.

The fare structure has been set at a starting rate of RM1, compared to the starting fare of 70 sen on existing bus services. However, the rate - 10 sen - for every subsequent kilometre of travel remains the same.

RapidPenang will ply 26 routes on Penang island and seven on mainland Seberang Perai. Although it will run cheaper rides than other bus companies for short-haul trips, travel over longer distances will be more expensive.

For example, the ride between Weld Quay and Bukit Jambul will cost passengers RM1.70 on RapidPenang compared to RM1.30 on services operated by local companies.

Commuters will pay RM5 on RapidPenang between Balik Pulau and Batu Feringhi, compared to RM3.50 on other buses.

In April, RapidKL chief operating officer for bus operations, Mohd Ali Mohd Nor, had assured that the RapidPenang fare would either be "cheaper than or the same as" current bus fares.

"We will not charge more, certainly," Mohd Ali had said at a press conference.

Finance Minister II Nor Mohamed Yakcop said earlier this month that the fare would be between RM1 and RM3.50, depending on routes and distance.

The fare structure has already come under fire by the DAP in a memorandum that proposes cross-subsidisation of fares and standardised ratesof RM1, RM2 or RM3 as an alternative.

Ng Wei Aik, the political secretary to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, handed over the memorandum today to state executive councillor Dr Teng Hock Nan, who oversees local government, traffic management, information and community relations.

"Paying up to RM10 daily to travel from Batu Feringhi to Balik Pulau and back again will amount to half the daily wage of a low income earner. It's expensive," said Ng.

Three-tier structure

Instead, the DAP proposes a single-trip RM1 ticket to be issued when a passenger boards, with coverage limited either to the island or mainland.

A RM2 ticket can be used once within the same-day operation period, with its use restricted either to routes on the island or mainland.

Commuters can use the RM3 ticket a similar way, but on routes on both the island and mainland, including via the Penang Bridge.

Ng said RapidPenang's fare structure will not encourage many commuters to switch from private cars to buses, noting this defeats the main purpose of upgrading public transportation.

The company must comply with international standards by setting half-fares for students from primary to university level, and providing free rides for senior citizens, he said.

The memorandum also accused the state government of overlooking the interests of existing bus and taxi operators, and of failing to provide a blueprint as to how these could co-exist with RapidPenang.

"We cannot allow existing companies to close down, as it would pave the way for RapidPenang to monopolise transport services," Ng said.

KGN-Hin Bus Company, Transit Link, Milan Travel, Siang Cemerlang, Angkasa Barisan, Inter Runner, United Traction Company Sdn Bhd, Park May Bhd, Syarikat Perkhidmatan Pengangkutan Federal Bhd and Transit Link have been running bus services on either the island or mainland for decades.

RapidPenang is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rangkaian Pengangkutan Intergrasi Deras Sdn Bhd or RapidKL, which is wholly-owned by Finance Ministry Incorporated.

It will operate 35 high and low-density routes, including 28 on the island and seven on the mainland, and deploy 135 buses, comprising of stage, medium-range and minibuses, to ply the routes at any one time.