RM463M Approved To Improve & Encourage Public Transport Usage

The Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Traffic Congestion (JKMKKJR) has approved an allocation of RM463 Million to improve public transport services, reported Bernama. This is as the country prepares to assume its role as ASEAN Chair in 2025 and Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who chaired the meeting, highlighted several initiatives to encourage the use of public transport. These include:

• The Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) first and last mile service, which has reduced customer waiting times from 40 minutes to 13 minutes in the Klang Valley and northern cities.
• The implementation of Special Bus Lanes, which has increased daily passengers, reduced travel time, and improved commercial speed. This initiative will be expanded to Penang and the Klang Valley.

The meeting also decided to make it mandatory to install speed limiter devices on buses from January 1, 2026, to increase compliance with speed limits and reduce accidents.

Ahmad Zahid also emphasized the importance of addressing road safety issues, citing statistics - 5,939 deaths occurred due to road accidents as of November this year caused by factors such as personal negligence, careless exit/entry at slip roads and careless overtaking/lane changing.

Therefore, to address these issues, a comprehensive study will be done by Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research (MIROS) from which findings will be shared with relevant agencies to ensure a more effective approach to road safety and congestion is formulated.