Fix Public Transport Reliability Before Limiting Car Ownership - Experts

Improving the speed and reliability of Malaysia’s existing public transport system should be the immediate priority in tackling congestion, rather than introducing measures to curb vehicle ownership, transport experts say.

They were responding to suggestions that limiting car ownership could help address worsening traffic congestion. However, Transport Minister Anthony Loke dismissed the idea, describing it as a sensitive issue.

Loke said traffic congestion has become a recurring pattern, particularly ahead of festive periods due to company dinners, shopping activities, and early interstate travel. He also pointed to structural factors, including the rapid rise in vehicle ownership.

According to New Straits Times (NST), transport policy expert Wan Agyl Wan Hassan said Malaysia’s transport ecosystem has historically encouraged car ownership through long loan tenures, fuel subsidies, which have only recently been rationalised, and relatively low urban parking costs.

“Transport outcomes reflect economic signals. If ownership is affordable while congestion costs are largely externalised, people will naturally buy more cars,” he told NST.

Wan Agyl said the recent diesel subsidy rationalisation in 2024 and reforms to RON95 pricing indicate a gradual policy recalibration.

“The key is not restricting ownership abruptly, but aligning cost signals gradually,” he added.

With ownership restrictions unlikely, he stressed that short-term congestion management should focus on strengthening the performance of existing public transport services.

Among the immediate measures proposed are stricter enforcement of dedicated bus lanes during peak hours, increasing service frequency on high-demand routes such as MRT2 (Putrajaya Line), KTM services and major trunk corridors, as well as encouraging staggered reporting hours for government-linked companies and large office clusters in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Cyberjaya.

Despite significant rail investments, Malaysia’s public transport modal share remains between 20 and 25 per cent, below the 40 per cent target.

“The issue is not a lack of infrastructure; it is behavioral economics and convenience,” Wan Agyl further noted. 

He also highlighted the importance of improving first- and last-mile connectivity through better sidewalks, shaded walkways, safe crossings, and more reliable feeder bus services. Feeder buses, he said, should be given peak-hour priority where road conditions allow.

Parking reform near transit stations, particularly reducing minimum parking requirements within a 500 to 800 metre radius could also gradually influence commuter behaviour, he added.

On congestion charges, Wan Agyl noted that global cities such as Singapore and London implemented pricing mechanisms only after establishing robust public transport alternatives.

“In Malaysia, the network is still being strengthened,” he said, citing the yet-to-be-operational MRT3, delays to LRT3, and inconsistent feeder reliability.

Meanwhile, Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh called for a strategic action plan to ensure 40 per cent of trips in Greater Klang Valley are made via public transport by 2030 under the Transport Masterplan.

He said improving first- and last-mile connectivity and ensuring reliable service frequency are crucial to encouraging commuters to shift away from private vehicles. Suret also suggested introducing congestion charges during peak hours and installing digital displays at bus stops to provide real-time arrival information.

Experts maintain that without faster, more predictable, and convenient public transport, efforts to manage congestion through ownership limits or pricing measures are unlikely to succeed.