Although our public transport system have eased our travelling, unfortunately, it is far from perfect. There have been numerous complains regarding the lack of security at stations as well as the faulty ticket machines.
A recent complaint raised by Malaysians is the infrequent train times as many complained about having to wait 15 to 20 minutes for a train that’s supposed to be frequent.
Twitter user Faizal Hamssin recently expressed his frustrations via a post. “Used to take the MRT, these days I just drive everywhere.”
Used to take the MRT, these days I just drive everywhere.
Waiting 15-20 minutes for a train isn’t something that should be accepted, for the MRT. MRT wasn’t designed to be a suburban rail network like the KTM.
The train should come every 5 min at least, during daytime.
— Faizal Hamssin (@faizalhamssin) March 14, 2022
“Waiting 15-20 minutes for a train isn’t something that should be accepted, for the MRT. MRT wasn’t designed to be a suburban rail network like the KTM,” he added.
“The train should come every 5 minutes at least, during daytime.”
He then went on to offer a few suggestions on how they public transport can improve.
If the low ridership is a reason why the train frequency is so low, here are some of the ways MRT can improve:
– frequency + catchment of feeder buses
– pedestrian access to stations (work with DBKL)
– improve parking access (+ motorcycle parking)
– partner with ride sharing apps— Faizal Hamssin (@faizalhamssin) March 14, 2022
“When the SBK Line (MRT1) was launched, MRT Corp disclosed that the frequency would be a train every 3.5 minutes – which is on par with what you would get in Singapore and Bangkok,” he added.
“Over time, train frequency has changed – but 15-20 mins is unacceptable.”
Faizal explained that the MRT line frequency was still quite OK until Covid happened leading to the operator reducing the frequency.
“Today, isn’t it about time for the train frequency to increase to pre-lockdown setting? People are back in the office. shops and restaurants are at full capacity,” he explained.
Netizens complain about train frequencies
Faizal’s tweet has amassed plenty of attention. Netizens shared his sentiments and proceed to comment their own frustrations in regards to our public transport.
“Malaysia has worse public transportation than Tanzania and the East coast of the US,” said one user.
Some users even shared images of how infrequent the MRT really is. “Hm… back to KTM time I guess,” said a user.
Complaints not attended to
A number of Malaysians also stated that they have made complaints to RapidKL in regards to the train frequencies. Unfortunately, nothing has been done.
“As a daily user of the MRT, yes, the MRT is now like the KTM. I have complained numerous times to RapidKL but nothing has been done.”
“I’m hoping that they rectify the train schedules and allow passengers to go on trains as early as 5:30am and as late as 12:30am,” commented one user.
“I’m tired of having to wait for the train after working. I’m going to take driving license and drive too,” stated one netizen.
Another user commented, “As someone who takes the MRT, I agree. Imagine having to wait 15 minutes for a train? In 15 minutes with a motorcycle I can probably get halfway towards the location.”
RapidKL comments on the issue
The issue eventually caught the attention of RapidKL who commented on the post.
Thank you for bringing this up to our attention.
For your kind info, the train headway is 10-12 minutes during off-peak hours (6:00 am – 7:00 am, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 12:00 am)
Our peak hour frequency is 4 minutes (7:00 am – 9:00 am and 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm).
— Ask Rapid KL (@AskRapidKL) March 14, 2022
They clarified that their train frequency during off-peak hours is 10 to 12 minutes whilst on peak frequency is 4 minutes.
What do you think? Do you have similar complaints about our public transport? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: M’sian Shares How 3 Scammers Approached Him at MRT Station, Urges RapidKL to Improve Security
