Rapid KL breaks promise

Remember this?



The promise...



The proviso...



Well, I've checked out the "updated" Rapid KL and here's something very interesting (apologies for the ugly table which I just copied off the website):

HEADWAY ON WEEKDAYS ( MONDAY - SATURDAY )
DESCRIPTION	PEAK 1	OFF PEAK 1	PEAK 2	OFF PEAK 2
	06:00 - 09:00	09:00 - 17:00	17:00 - 21:00	21:00 - 24:30
CITY SHUTTLE	10 MIN	15 MIN	10 MIN	20 MIN
TRUNK LINE	15 MIN	20 MIN	15 MIN	30 MIN
LOCAL SHUTTLE	15 MIN	20 MIN	15 MIN	30 MIN
EXPRESS	30 MIN	30 MIN	30 MIN	60 MIN
HEADWAY ON SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
DESCRIPTION	TIME	HEADWAY	TIME	HEADWAY
CITY SHUTTLE	06:00 - 21:00	10 MIN	20:00 - 24:30	20 MIN
TRUNK LINE	06:00 - 21:00	20 MIN	21:00 - 24:30	30 MIN
LOCAL SHUTTLE	06:00 - 21:00	20 MIN	21:00 - 24:30	30 MIN
EXPRESS	06:00 - 21:00	30 MIN	21:00 - 24:30	60 MIN

This information can be obtained here and here.

Well, here's what was promised at Rapid's own website

These areas will have new local shuttle services and trunk line service into the hubs in the city linking them into the city via city shuttle services every 5 minutes.

[...]

He said the local shuttle service will be available every 15 minutes and trunk service at every 10 minutes. He said the public is able to achieve a saving of minimum 10 to 20 minutes with this new network compared to the old.

The Star on 15 September 2006:

“We need some 250 new buses to serve this new network, with the frequency of a bus every 15 minutes for the local shuttle and 10-minute wait for the trunk service.

“At the moment, we have about 100 new buses and are expecting more to arrive next week,” said Mohd Ali.

So it's clear, it was promied 5-10-15 for City-Trunk-Local.

And yes, I understand the escape clause "Rapid KL reserves the right to make any changes prior to any notice" (whatever that means) allows Rapid to do that.

If indeed this is true, then it's gonna lose lot's of trust and certainly will disappoint plenty.

But at least they are honest with this information online (although it is burried somewhere).

But still it confounds me, because if they have changed their service promise, shouldn't they have the press publish it too?

Well to begin with, I never believed that 5-10-15 promise. But I think Rapid should do more to explain why it can't (e.g. traffic congestion, blocked bus lanes) and let it be known that someone else (Bandaraya, Traffic cops) isn't working as they should.

And it would help that Rapid KL publish bus times for the not-so-frequent buses on the web and at bus stops.

Still, I would like to see this soon or someday soon.

KL Boleh - even more thoughts

These are more photos from Lex that I have either forgotten to include in the previous posts in this series.

Essentially, this whole KL Boleh series is all about pointing out our mindsets and attitudes. No matter how much the government and the transport operators spend to improve our roads and public transport, KL roads will still be shit if we don't give ourselves mental upgrades.

Destination boards
Take a look at these buses. These photos were taken this Monday by Lex. Tell me, what's so unusual about these buses?

Okay, they are the buses from the old stock. And I think they are waiting to be reconditioned.


Do you know where I'm going?

Well, it's the bus destination board that puzzles me. I know that Local routes are labelled green and I know that this is only a temporary solution. But that doesn't mean that you should have the whole board in that green, and in that light shade, and having the text white!

How are passengers supposed to spot the buses from afar?



Mind you, this problem isn't unique with these buses. Even those new ones with LED displays, can be quite hard to read. Especially those on the City Shuttle routes. The text and bus number is small. How about increasing the size of the text?



How about considering linen roller destination blinds in the future. Why linen roller blinds? These roller blinds can be easily changed midway through the route. So as the bus completes it route, only destinations that matter are displayed. Pretty low-tech but pretty neat eh? (although I don't expect Rapid KL to waste their money changing the LED displays anymore! Just try to fine tune the text size and the wording of the routes!)

And making sure the colour scheme works such that route information can be seen from afar, and at night.

Parking at the station - again


Need I say more? Causing taxis to use bus stops. Causing taxis to line up along the road, causing bottlenecks. Abuse of disabled persons parking. Lost revenue. Sigh!




I think these people are really orang kurang upaya. Orang kurang upaya berfikir. (sorry, not very PC)



And what patriots too!

If the lots are for Rapid KL staff, my understanding of Rapid KL staff being those doing maintenance or stuff like that. If they are just doing ticketing, please park behind at RM3 per day (I think).



There is NO LAW.

May I also add that these parking bays could be better utilized as a rank for waiting vehicles or to drop off passengers? I've passed Bangsar Road a couple of times in the late morning and I have noticed that waiting taxis occupy the bus stop and line up about 50 metres back to Maybank, causing Bangsar Road to lose about half a lane. This causes a bottleneck at the Maarof junction.

Why can't the taxi rank inside the station be utilized instead?

What say you Rapid KL? Bandaraya?

When it rains in Bangsar...



In the picture above, there is an unoccupied shop lot at the left, next to the DO NOTs sign. Well, now they are installing a few stalls to the right of this picture (not shown). I hope this doesn't make the station more crowded, but pray tell me, why can't the shop lot be let out first?

Missing ticket inspector



This is photographic evidence of what I have been talking about here and here! If Rapid KL is serious about this curi tulang incident, I can get Lex to supply the exact date and time.

Mind my English



I also think that Rapid KL staff need to be trained to converse in English and other languages as well. The example above (at KLCC) speaks for itself. There are plenty of old grandmothers who can't speak Malay very well. How about recruiting more Chinese and Tamil speakers? Or putting up signs in those languages too?

There are plenty of tourists who would find Rapid KL's coverage excellent, and why not sell it to them? After all next year is Visit Malaysia. But VMY2007 or no VMY2007, tourists or no tourists, Rapid KL and others better get their act together. The communication (and customer service) skills of most Rapid KL's staff is horrible.

Many are seen to be lazy, rude and indifferent to their customers. No amount of press releases and newspaper appearences can fix this, unless drivers, ticketing staff and other customer service personnel are seen to be doing a good job.

Oh, and there's this odd photo here. This was taken behind Central Market. Can Bandaraya or Bomba please take action?

The stigma

Concept I

stig·ma (stĭg'mə)
n., pl. stig·ma·ta (stĭg-mä'tə, -măt'ə, stĭg'mə-) or stig·mas.

A mark or token of infamy, disgrace, or reproach: “Party affiliation has never been more casual... The stigmata of decay are everywhere” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.). See synonyms at stain.

American Heritage Dictionary

Concept II

public transportation

Demographics: Working class, retail assistants, the office kakak, students and Indonesian/Bangladeshi labour.
Reputation: Unreliable, infrequent, slow, dirty, (relatively) cheap.

My inference.

Concept III

middle class

A social and economic class composed of those more prosperous than the poor, or lower class, and less wealthy than the upper class. Middle class is sometimes loosely used to refer to the bourgeoisie. In the United States and other industrial countries, the term is often applied to white-collar, as opposed to blue-collar, workers.

Values commonly associated with the middle class include a desire for social respectability and material wealth and an emphasis on the family and education.

Houghton Mifflin

Now, what I am going to argue here is going to be quite flimsy - I don't do sociology (?). I have written about this before, but I think I should re-emphasize what I have written.

I'm guessing that most readers here are either middle-class or student. Use of public transportation is typically restricted to just the LRTs and Monorail. Most use the LRT as they either live close enough to stations or have mom/dad/bro/sis/bf/gf/husband/wife to drive you to the station. You also know how to drive, and you have a car, although you might have to compete with other household members for the car.

As for the rest of you who DON'T use public transportation, it's because the LRT is too far away and it might be a little silly for you to be dropped off at the station. And besides, you have a car available.

We are all willing to use public transportation as long as it is comfortable, reliable, convenient, affordable and safe. Or at least, that is what we say we demand.

Really, I think an important reason why many of us AVOID public transportation (esp. buses) like the plague is because of our perception (concept I) of who else uses it (concept II), because it is incompatible with our typical bourgeoisie aspirations (concept III).

In other words, it is socially unrespectable and unimaginable that someone like us would want to sit in a metal box with other plebs. In here, it is harder to listen to MixFM (although it is not impossible). Bosses have to sit next to their underlings, poor people get the same quality of service as those more affluent.

There are few points I would like to make here:

Aspiring?
Shouldn't we be discarding this feudalistic mindset of "us vs them"?

I can understand that public transportation has been shit for a very long time. But in very recent years, I, for one, have observed very positive improvements. And yet, many of us are still avoiding it. Given one day, in the very near future public transport really becomes comfortable, reliable, convenient, affordable and safe, would you then be willing to use it?

In many places, KL including, I think that many of us use the excuse that public transportation is uncomfortable, unreliable, inconvenient, not as affordable as it should be and unsafe, simply because we want to rationalize our aspiring motivations (make excuses). We don't want to be associated with the poor people who are "lower" than us.

In Europe, I have noticed that poor and rich people use buses and trains. In fact in England, you can frequently see lawyers and bankers in the Tube (and buses). Taking Virgin Train's intercity services is also quite normal for these people.

As long as you let public transportation, especially buses, be the domain of the stereotypical-cannot-make-it-types, it will continue to be. (sorry, this is so not PC). If it is reliable, would you put aside your "aspiring attitude" for a while and be willing to claim the buses as part of your reality too?

Give it a try
I am also suggesting the idea that there have been improvements in public transportation, especially with Rapid KL's buses, and that you should consider giving it a try. I am not asking that you totally depend on it, but how about just giving it a try?

Instead of driving to the station to hop on the LRT, how about trying the buses? Instead of driving out to lunch, how about trying out the City Shuttle?

I maybe wrong. You're expectations might not be met, and you might hate it more than ever.

(Also think about it, the taxes that you pay that come from you're hard earned salary is being used to subsidise this improvement. And you don't even want to see for yourself where your hard earned money is being poured into?)

Consumerism
As long as we middle-class stereotypes do not flood the system, how can the system improve? Poor and less-educated people are generally bad consumers, they don't know how to demand good service. They don't really dig consumerism, because they don't have the spending power to do so and they don't know how to do so.

When they are wronged by a bus driver, they are less likely to file a complaint or write to the newspapers. When the bus comes late, they would just wait. When there are no so-called educated people to show the way how to line up to enter the bus, how will these people ever learn?

So the fate of this system, that could potentially benefit you, lies in your hands.



Admittedly, this reasoning in this post is built on sinking sand, and even worse it contains many many politically incorrect suggestions. But I am trying to explain an idea, which I'm not very good at. I have over-exaggerated and compartmentalized more than I should have.

I'm sorry.

But I hope you get the idea. If not, just forget what you have just read and entertain yourselves with this. Ha ha.

More rail integration

Here are more ideas as to how to solve the "congestion" on our KL railways.

I've been thinking about it, even though KTM has a really fine network, extending to 3 (and a half) directions of the Klang Valley, it has been pretty Dogmatic about how it runs its routes.



I can understand for simplicity why they designate their routes Seremban-Rawang and Sentul-Port Klang. But being so rigid about it can lead to adverse effects.

Let me just warn you that I myself am not a frequent user of the Komuter, although I have taken it many times in the past. But I hope that these silly thoughts can be explored, okay?

I assume that most people who take the Komuter are doing it to get in and out of the city (e.g. Subang Jaya-Sentral). Or users who just want to travel down the line (e.g. Seremban-Kajang).

And although there must be people who use it to cross the Valley (e.g. Seremban-Rawang), they are not in the majority. And so I think the way the service routes are designed, it seems silly why these trains have to make one full journey back and forth each branch for every run!



Why not run the Komuter to do routes like Port Klang - KL, Seremban - KL and Rawang KL or something like that. (by KL, I mean either Sentral or the old railway station).

Come to think of it, this really makes no difference. But in actual fact, delays at one part of the system can lead to other trains being delayed elsewhere, further down the line. For example, a Rawang-Seremban service might be delayed simply because somewhere in Kajang, there is a delay. In other words, I am suggesting that the operations of these services should be made somewhat a bit more independent to each other.

[If I am not mistaken, this was also an issue with the KTM Intercity in the past. I remember as a kid taking the afternoon train to Singapore. We had to wait for about 3 hours for the train from Butterworth to arrive. And that wasn't the end of the delays. As we were making our way down the Peninsula, the locomotive was faulty (that's why the train took so long to get from Butterworth to KL) and the prime mover experienced more trouble. If I am not mistaken, now the Westcoast Intercity routes start and end at KL and those from the North who wish to go down South have to change at KL.]

How do I suggest they do this? Well I hope KTM can consider introducing a variety of routes, and from studying the route map, I hope they can consider the following.

At not so busy hours, they should maintain their current service routes, as usual. But at peak hours:

• Seremban-Tasik Selatan - Passengers take the Sri Petaling LRT or KLIA Transit to continue their norhtward journeys
  
• Rawang-Bank Negara - Passengers take the Sri Petaling and Ampang LRT to continue their southward journeys
• Reduce service on the Sentul KTM branch - passengers can hope off at Bank Negara to continue on the Sri Petaling and Ampang LRT
  
• Introduce express services that bypass not-so busy stations
• Introduce services that start and terminate at busy stations like Subang Jaya, Serdang etc.
• Construct a Komuter station at Abdullah Hukum to allow westerly passengers to bypass Sentral (and finally putting Abdullah Hukum to good use)
  
• Continue serving the usual full Rawang-Seremban and Sentul-Port Klang routes but at low frequencies
• With the savings of "rolling stock", couple those together to serve busy routes.
  

Why do I suggest these? From my understanding, the delays experienced by Komuter users seem to be with regards to clashing intercity and freight trains, and usually this is most severe in KL, from the Jalan Bangsar Junction to Jalan Kuching.

Naturally the most sensible thing would be to schedule all trains, and make sure they follow their schedules. But they don't, for reasons sometimes beyond KTM's control.

So how about introducing further computerization and automation in train control? Perhaps signalling can be improved and better synchronized?

Well, all I am suggesting is for Komuter trains to try to offload as many passengers and terminate services before they enter the city. (in fact this is something like Rapid KL's new hub-and-spoke bus system)

Come to think of it, whether KTM actually changes the routes or not, passengers can actually already "improvise" on these routes themselves. But why don't they?

Firstly, synchronization and coordination. KLIA Transit trains run half-hourly. You miss it, and you waste a day.

Secondly, hopping on from one train to another (in another station!) isn't a very pleasent thing to do (especially in KL).

Thirdly, we go back to the problem of "starting fares".

Fourthly, there is the issue of different "grades of service" on "different lines". KLIA Transit, being the most posh, followed by the LRTs and Monorail and the Komuter at the bottom. And with this, we also have different fares for similar journeys!

For example, for the journey

• Bandar Tasik Selatan to KL Sentral
• Komuter - RM1.00
• KLIA Transit - RM4.20
• Sentul to Bandaraya/Bank Negara (although Sentul KTM and LRT are at different places too!)
• Komuter - RM1.00
• LRT - RM1.40
  

As you can see, somewhat "similar" journeys can cost so much different!

This has to be sorted out, otherwise, users have no incentive to hop on other lines, even if it is in their best interest (in getting there fast and avoiding busy stations). Harmonization of fairs better be done quick.

Yes, the KLIA Transit feels really good and the Komuter really crap. How about KLIA transit introduce a "standard class" with less frills in some carriages, while maintaining some of their current ones for "premium"?

And as for frequency, I would suggest that they cut down the frequency or totally scrap the KLIA Express and have it fully replaced by the Transit. 36 minutes. 28 minutes. Big difference.

All this can't happen until all the operators and authorities sit down together to coordinate. I would recommend a business and operations model like this to be explored, in order to allow this complicated network of operators to integrate.

As much as we would like KL Sentral to be the "transport hub" of the city, we must also recognize that due to physical and technological limitations, some sort of "disintermediation" in terms of routing through KL should be explored.

The use of buses also must not be discounted!

It is also inevitable that KTM has to

• improve on its scheduling (and having it enforced!) and also further computerization with traffic control
• increase in capacity by acquiring more rolling stock to articulate the current trains and to have more train sets in service
• improve its station quality as well as integration with other rail lines
  

Further extensions of the Komuter, that have been planned, might only worsen this strain currently experienced. KTM and others better start planning ahead to manage this.

Victory number one

Remember this?

The yucky Horlicks structures at Jalan Semangat?






Well, guess what:

Dear Sirs,

Thank you for your valuable feedback and pleased to inform that we have taken the necessary steps to clear out the debris.

We also take this opportunity to apologise for inconvenience caused.

Regards,
Azariah Tahir, Communications Manager
Office : +603-74xx xxxx
Fax : +603-42xx xxxx
e-Mail: xxx@gsk.com
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Lot 89, Jalan Enggang, Ampang/Ulu Kelang Industrial Estate, 54200 Selangor, MALAYSIA
www.gsk.com.my
GSK - Do more, feel better, live longer

One step at a time.

KL Boleh - More thoughts

More photos from Lex. Thanks Lex.

Beggars
They are not new to KL. And they can be found everywhere, not just at LRT Stations. And I'm not going to launch into a sermon, even though I am tempted to, as to why and how the people who need help the most don't seem to get it.



The photo above was taken at the Bukit Bintang Monorail. According to Lex, it was on the bit of the bridge linking Sungai Wang. And the ones below are at Pasar Seni LRT.



What has happened to our welfare services such that these people have to subject themselves to this lowly state? I hope something can be done to help these men and women find employment. How about the Welfare Services set up "social enterprise" to get these beggars to work stuff like shining shoes, selling tissues, selling newspapers, busking etc. at the LRT Stations? I remember growing up going to Pasar Malam and being thoroughly entertained by blind musicians. In Britain, hobos sell the magazine, The Big Issue.




(do I see a PUT-A? ekekeke)

Another irritating thing that I myself have found is the bunch of people doing "surveys" at the KLCC underpass. Knowing that they can't accost you in the LRT Station or inside KLCC itself, they all congregate in the tunnel, a no-man's-land.

As for buskers, good for them! But please, improve on your repertoire please.

Essentially, the rule I would advocate is anything that doesn't block pedestrian access.

When it rains... at the car parks
According to Lex, these photos were taken at Bangsar LRT station on Saturday. Whenever it rains puddles form at the access to the car park.



And users are expected to main lompat-lompat.



I don't know if this is the typical quality of car parks at the LRT stations. I hope not.

When it rains... in the stations
The LRT system is barely 10 years old. And it has already shown many signs of wear and tear.



This is Pasar Seni LRT. When the rain comes down, buckets and dustbins, and janitors come out.



Ticket vending machines



Typical. Sigh.

Customer service

Over the weekend, Rapid KL launched the revamped bus services in Area 5 & 6. So many of the newbies, like Lex, needed some help with the service.

This is Medan Pasar on Monday. While some Rapid KL staff were working hard and trying to be very helpful...



Others chose to post themselves in some hidden corner (at AmBank).


ZzzzZZZZzzzz...



Meanwhile, this was another photo taken at the Pasar Seni bus stand.



Lex told me this on Monday:

When I was at KL Sentral at around 1 something, I wanted to enquire about service 115. I waited for about 20 minutes but saw no 115, and then went to ask the Rapid KL staff stationed next to the SkyBus counters... And I was then told that the bus would leave at 2. Shocked, I then pointed out to the staff the promise in the Rapid KL leaflets that City shuttles run every FIVE minutes. Then the guy pointed out RUDELY and SMUGLY, the proviso on the leaflet:

DISCLAIMER: Rapid KL reserves the right to make any changes prior to any notice.

(KLC: What horrigible English. Prior to any notice.)

Then I told him, that yah, this seems to be the quality of service that Rapid KL wants to offer. And he challenged me to file a complaint.

I would, but I forgot to note down his name and pangkat.

Case item #1



The promise...



The proviso...



Well, I will try to bring this to Rapid KL's attention.

This reminds me of another instance at Pasar Seni LRT Station. An old uncle wanted to purchase a bus pass or make some enquiry at the counter (the same one as the "break" photo). There were a group of Rapid KL staff, drivers I suppose milling around at the bus shelter in front of the pondok. The uncle asked the staff if they could help him out. Then they laughed at him and pointed out the sign "solat". Need I say more?

Another incident that reader AlFresco has related to me:

I was riding the 108 from Medan Pasar to Bukit Bintang, trying out the service. Essentially this loop service takes you from Medan Pasar, through Jalan Raja Chula, Bukit Bintang, Imbi, Jalan Tun Razak and back. I was trying out the service for the first time so I wanted to see what this route looked like. After doing Bukit Bintang and Imbi, the bus driver stopped at Pasar Rakyat and asked all passengers to disembark! I was shocked. I told the driver that this was a loop service (berkeliling) and the route terminates at Medan Pasar, where it starts. He told me, that it was his break time and he was sorry, everyone had to get off and wait for another 108. I waited for another 15 minutes for the next bus. This was the first and last time I'd use the Rapid KL.

Can Rapid KL kindly explain if drivers are authorized to terminate services midway and take breaks? Is this sort of behaviour rampant?

Pedestrians
Whether you use public transport, or not, everyone would agree that it really sucks big time having to walk around KL. (apart from the hot weather la)





Pedestrians have to dodge vehicles parked on the already narrow sidewalks. Crossing roads are difficult as pedestrian crossings usually don't give priority to pedestrians who have to stand in the sun. Pedestrians are forced to climb overhead bridges, even in the city centre, while subways are usually disgusting and dodgy. Drivers seldom allow pedestrians to cross roads, even at designated pedestrian crossings. Missing drain covers are aplenty.

Sigh.

Disabled friendly transport

Disabled persons have been demanding access to public transport for a very long time. They haven't been very successful, apart from that in the Putra LRT system and what used to be its Putraliner feeder buses.

The joke of the day is that today, Rapid KL in 2006, can't even get it right with this issue. Its new bus fleet is not disabled friendly, with regards to persons with mobility difficulties.

And it tickles me when on their buses, they have allocated the orange colour priority seats, but have made no provision for persons on wheelchairs. But they have chosen to label these priority seats with the "wheelchair user sign".



As you can see, the seats are not foldable.



Peter Tan has wrote about accessible public transportation.

Better signs



Rapid KL has done an amazing job with disseminating information in its short history. In many ways it has done a lot of things unimaginable under previous transport operator managements. It publishes detailed bus route information on the web, it has put up plenty of the same information at bus stops, it has printed out thousands of leaflets, it has been talking to the press. But still, there is a lot to be done, and a lot is still to be desired of. I have talked about its website and bus stop information.

I'm glad that Rapid KL has come in to save the day. Good luck!

Lessons from LA

In response to KJ John's Transportation lessons from LA (Malaysiakini subscription required).

Dear KJ John,

I like you, and probably ALL of Malaysia, am disappointed with the state of public transportation services in the country.

I write about public transportation issues in my blog, klcommuter.blogspot.com. Here I discuss the shortcomings of the current system in the Klang Valley that we have in place, and how we can improve on it.

It is interesting that you talk about privatisation in public transportation. It is an issue that I think is one of the most serious and fundamental, yet least discussed.

Rapid KL and SPNB have been doing a MUCH BETTER job than the nexus of Intrakota and Cityliner. That I think we all have given credit. Still there is a long way to go.

But there still remains the many other so called OTHER transport operators. The rail ones being KTM Komuter, ERL and KL Monorail. The buses, SJ Bus, Triton, Metrobus, Selangor, Len Seng etc.

I think that there is plenty of room for integration and cooperation while still retaining these other operators.


TRANSPORT REGULATOR
One important step would be to introduce a new public transport regulator/authority for the Klang Valley, and following that remove all other regulatory powers held by the CVLB, local councils, SPNB and Rapid KL (with their quasi-regulatory powers), transport ministry etc.

This can be modelled in the likes of Singapore's Land Transport Authority, or Transport for London. Designate routes for operators, regulate safety standards, enforce integration, bringing in common ticketing systems, building and maintaining support services like tunnels, overhead bridges, bus stops, bus stations, large important train interchanges.

Currently, there is a problem of "who does what"? And them being territorial (DBKL - we only do bus maps for Kuala Lumpur). And the massive bureaucracy.


COMMON TICKETING
Touch 'n Go is actually a pseudo-common-ticket. But there are many problems with it, such as it not being available on the ERL, and the difficulty and cost of doing reloads, and the reliability issues of card readers at turnstiles.

There is also another major problem. I term this the problem of "starting fares". Hop on a train line and your first station would cost you anything from RM0.70 to RM1.20. That is pretty okay if you travel on one line to complete one journey. But if you require travel on at least two lines, you are double charged this "starting fare". And this is potentially a major disincentive for the use of rail travel. I have discussed this at my blog:
http://klcommuter.blogspot.com/2006/09/fair-fares.html

I also would like to see system-wide bus and train passes, working across all operators. But there are many complications, that I have discussed at klcommuter.blogspot.com.


PRIVATISATION
I don't think these OTHER operators need to be bought up to ensure integration - both physical and ticketing wise.

An example I always like to quote is that of London. Two different operators run the London Underground, yet most people don't really know about it. In fact they don't really care. Why? Because standards of service, livery, ticketing and other issues have been standardized. Bus routes are all issued competitively and are subject to pretty frequently put up for re-bidding.

How does London do that? Essentially, the Mayor of London, through Transport of London, contracts out the provision of these services to private companies. The 2 Underground operators and the many bus companies. The Mayor purchases these services from these separate companies in wholesale, but then redistributes, repackages and resells these services to the general public.

So ticketing, marketing, stations, quality standards, customer complaints, safety standards, and even the livery (the red buses!) - are all standardized and controlled by the Mayor.

This allows the Mayor to have close control in achieving certain social-political targets (universal service, round the clock service, discounts for senior citizens, subsidized routes), while unleashing the competitive powers of private enterprise that bid for the provision of these services.

Performance charts are published so often, showing how punctual and reliable services have been.

And how can we do this in KL?

Have the routes be put out to competitive tender and subject to bidding every so often. The lowest bidder will receive a fixed annual or periodic fee for the provision of these services subject to various perfomance indicators. Define clearly what services to be provided: i.e. how many bus runs a day, how often at what time, how big a bus, considerations for traffic congestion and roadworks. Have these performance indicators inspected and audited.

So although individual routes are run by monopolies, in effect they are not because the end customer doesn't make direct payment to this company and this route monopoly is subject to competitive bidding, so any monopoly behaviour (apart from pricing, which doesn't apply here anyway), such as offering unreliable service and compromising on safety would be subjected to fines from the regulator, or be disqualified from bidding in the next period.

At the employee level, pay-performance compensation structure for employees should be further improved, if not introduced. Bus drivers' pay should be proportionate to his performance i.e. with regards to how hard he has works, his safety awareness, his punctuality, the busy-ness of his routes etc.

This way, Metrobus, Len Seng, Triton and the likes can continue operating, subject to being able to compete for the tender, and also being able to fulfill the other requirements. (With standardized livery, hopefully in the future, we can have something like the iconic red buses in London! How about beige eh?)

The same can be applied for rail operators. Have Rapid KL pay a fixed periodic fee to KTM, ERL and KL Monorail to run their services, and in exchange Rapid KL take over all ticketing revenue and marketing while the individual operators continue with train operations and maintenance? But of course there will be differences, such as contracts have to be made much longer than in the case of buses, due to the heavy fixed cost investments and the immobility of capital across systems (unlike buses that can be quickly converted for use elsewhere much easily).

In a way, it's like the in-thing PFI that the government has been shouting about. But like everything else, it is not without its controrvesy. But it should be something to be explored, given the ability of it to allow more integration than currently available.


What a blog-whore I am.

KL Boleh - Sentral, the new Kotaraya

Lex was there over the weekend and Monday to use the free services offered to Area 5 & 6 users. I've tested out the system myself before, and Lex went on assignment to snap some photos for me.

Rapid KL staff were seen everywhere around the bus stops at KL Sentral, especially at the main one at Jalan Stesen Sentral 3 i.e. where the KLIA and Genting buses stopped. They were giving out leaflets about the new routes and also the City Shuttle ones.

Well done, Rapid! (although there are some "customer service" issues which I will discuss later)

Sentral escalators
To get from Sentral proper (railway halls) from the bus terminal (at street level), there is this pathetic Imbi Plaza like narrow escalator available. And in typical Malaysian fashion, it crawls.

And in typical Malaysian fashion again, passengers coming down have to walk down a very narrow stair.

There is an elevator available, but it wasn't tested. At any rate, this elevator shouldn't be relied as a long term solution to shuttle people up and down.

I would recommend that KL Sentral management add more escalators in this area, and make them high speed. I don't think downward escalators are a luxury, they are a necessity.

One thing I don't understand is that if shopping centres can easily install so many escalators (up and DOWN), why can't train stations? How expensive is it to purchase and operate one?

Sentral proper
Once inside the rail halls in the main building, one would be greeted by the rows of gedung-gedung pakaian. Why people would want to buy clothes in a railway station really puzzles me. But this is Malaysia, and anything goes.

Okay. If this is indeed a shopping centre, then where are all the escalators going up and DOWN? And if this is a train station, why is there a Kamdar right in the main lobby?

There is also another "fashion" outlet in the unoccupied LRT ticket hall. (in general, each railway line has two entrances in. The Komuter utilizes both, but Rapid KL being cheap is only using one). And they forgot to remove the signs. (the blue sign at the top right)

I am not anti retailing. But I think there is a time and place for it. Most of the shops I see are those stalls selling handphone reload cards. WTF. I think good retail outlets would be like the MyNews/Kiosk/7-eleven kinda outlets at the Monorail stations. Or in Singapore, they have their Citylink mall at City Hall MRT.

Outside stations, there are the "pasar malams" that have been not carefully laid out, such that now going in and out of stations is like an obstacle course. Where is the planning!?

Meanwhile the signs have yet to be updated. Putra LRT's still the in thing and wherea are the directions to the buses.

Illegal parking
There is this huge-ass car park (and a "pasar malam") in the giant space between the station and Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

Instead we have these tight arses who choose to park their cars here. Right now, they are not obstructing any traffic, yet. But I can assure you that without any enforcement, this would become standard practice.

These cars better not belong to the Rapid KL staff on duty.

PanduCermat.org.my?


Nation of shopkeepers
I've blogged about this before. The rational decision to introduce a covered walkway to link the Monorail station with Sentral, followed by the not-so to surround it by a bazaar.

It makes the corridor stuffy, crowded, dirty and difficult to navigate.

Dare they proudly hang our vertical form of Jalur Gemilang in that ugly horizontal manner? And then leaving behind this mess!

What a bunch of patriots.

The car park is quite big, and hardly very full. So I don't see why KL Sentral shouldn't install the tents also in the car park, slightly further away from the walkway. Pedestrian traffic and shoppers thus compete for space in that tiny space.

Jalan Tun Sambanthan
This is the monorail station wrongly-named "KL Sentral". And look at the signboard and you can judge the high quality of installation and maintenance. Syabas!



Where's the O-N?

As you can see on the left, the "pasar malam" is being put up. I can't wait to see what happens when it rains at peak hours and Jalan Tun Sambanthan is jam packed.



Malaysia boleh in action again.

More "pasar malam" and the fella who owns the Volvo must be some tight-uncle to pay 60 sen an hour for parking behind this row of shops.

And look at the perfect seemless integration the "pasar malam" has with the bus network! The bus stop, the bus sign pole and the "pasar malam", and accompanying tong sampah have become ONE. Rapid KL, please learn! (he he)

And with this kind of third world mentality, commuters are forced to stand on the road to wait for buses. Otherwise, they might just miss a passing bus.



Bloody bas persiaran.

Suggestions for a first world station
Reallocate space amongst bus services and companies. KLIA, LCCT and Genting buses also crowd in the same area as Rapid KL. Given they were there before Rapid moved in, they have the choicest waiting bays. This has led to City buses being at on end of the building and Area 5 & 6 buses at another. How about moving these OTHER buses up to the bus and taxi waiting area opposite Hilton and leave this area downstairs exclusively for Rapid KL (and Triton)?

Better signs. Given that this is a pretty new system at KL Sentral, I hope Rapid KL and Sentral will put up better signs to direct passengers where to go, in the very very near future.

Install seats and fans! And maybe airconditioned waiting rooms?

Install permanent DBKL and traffic police officers to control traffic and enforce parking regulations.

Better access to Sentral proper - high speed escalators in both directions, stairs, clear the railway station hall, better signs.

Ban smoking in the bus station.

Fix Jalan Tun Sambanthan. I hope that Sentral, DBKL and business and community leaders can come together to bring some order to these street trading. I love the charm of street hawkers, but I think in a critical place like Jalan Tun Sambanthan and KL Sentral, it MUST be done properly. Cleanliness. No enroachment of stalls into the five foot way. Proper ventilation. No obstruction of street traffic. No taking over "bus stops". Deepavali or no Deepavali, Kongsi Raya or no Kongsi Raya, there is always the need to do the right thing, and the thing right. There is always the place and the time for everything. A bazaar in the middle of a busy pedestrian area is not right.

Quickly start work on the "shopping complex", if at all. Install a walkway at the same level as the monorail station (airconditioned with highspeed travelators!) right to the platform, to minimize walking up and down to get from both stations.