SPAD has not lived up to expectations
WHEN the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) was set up a few years ago, it was a clear sign that the Government was serious about improving the public transport system, especially in the Klang Valley.
Many public transport users including myself welcomed SPAD, hoping it would make our public transport system efficient. Sadly, it has not lived up to expectations and public transport users are still being plagued by a host of -problems.
Let’s begin with the relocation of the northern bus routes from Pudu Sentral to Bandar Tasik Selatan in November last year.
No prior notice was given to bus operators, and commuters who had bought tickets were only informed of the change at the last minute. There was a lot of confusion over bus operators refusing to relocate, claiming that they were given last-minute notice and couldn’t get their deposit back from Pudu Sentral.
In the end, commuters were stranded and confused due to the lack of information from SPAD.
Recently, SPAD implemented the Bus Network Revamp (BNR) in the Klang Valley with the aim of improving bus services and reducing waiting time. But it turned out to be chaotic and a complete mess. I only found out about the implementation after reading the papers a day before it was done.
When I lodged a complaint with SPAD about the short notice, they claimed they had distributed brochures at bus stops a few days earlier. But I never saw any of them.
A check on social media proved I wasn’t the only one as there were hundreds of daily bus users who complained that it was a last-minute notice.
All the bus route numbers have also been changed, which added more confusion. SPAD should have informed us months earlier.
The implementation of the BNR also increased waiting time from 10 minutes to 50 minutes. Some bus routes were terminated even though they were popular among users. No one knows why.
Some buses run by Metrobus that now ply several routes once operated by RapidKL in Puchong look extremely disgusting. Their seats are torn, the air-conditioner is not working and the fares are higher than RapidKL’s. They also don’t have the Touch ‘N Go facility, causing a hassle for commuters.
I have no idea how SPAD can even allow such buses on our roads. Some of the drivers are foreigners and are rude. Some would wait at the bus stop for 15 minutes to fill up the bus and they stop at undesignated places to randomly pick up passengers.
I don’t understand why SPAD changed the bus operators when RapidKL was providing good service. The Metrobus service is simply awful and the buses look like they serve in a war-torn country.
I’ve also complained to SPAD about this and received a reply stating that the company might have new buses in the middle of the year. Why can’t SPAD allow Metrobus to operate only after they get their new buses? I’ve noticed many commuters complaining on Facebook but SPAD seems to ignore the issue or is not bothered at all.
I also find it ridiculous when SPAD only recently claimed that some of the new bus routes are still not in operation yet. If that’s the case, why advertise the new routes in the brochures?
The BNR has made me spend more money as I’ve got to take the taxi to my office now, which costs up to four times the bus fare! I have no choice as I don’t want to be late for work.
My friend recently got fired from her part-time job at a shopping mall as she had been arriving late to work. Some senior citizens have to pay more to take a cab as they can’t stand long enough to wait for a bus.
SPAD has admitted that the whole system is suffering major hiccups and it might take a while to stabilise. But how long is a while? And what happened to the new double decker buses from RapidKL? Why won’t SPAD allow the new buses to be operational?
Even our taxi industry is still as bad as before. One can check TripAdvisor to see how bad the reviews tourists are giving our taxi drivers. The Grabcar and Uber issue has not been solved although it has been more than year.
If there’s an entity that’s doing something to improve public transport, it is RapidKL, which has the super modern and efficient BRT Sunway although SPAD -decided to charge a ridiculously high fare to use it, the LRT extension line and the new trains.
The RapidKL communications team has also done a good job to explain the new fares and new projects via social media and takes action on every complaint lodged. Their websites are updated regularly compared to SPAD’s, which still displays outdated information.
I suggest that the Government abolish SPAD before they make our public transport system worse. The Government should instead use the money to improve public transport services and to purchase new buses for Metrobus if the service is to remain.
Post time 20-4-2019 02:52 PM
Post time 21-4-2019 12:09 AM
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