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BUKIT MERTAJAM – National rail services provider Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) has launched special passenger passes for its commuter service to boost ridership in the northern region.
Chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin said that the special passes are introduced to help grow the market for short train rides, including the Padang Besar-Penang route which is one of the KTMB’s top commuter journeys.
He added that KTMB hopes to tap into the market for short-ride passengers, who generally comprise tourists, workers and civil officers.
The special passes are offered weekly and monthly and cover a two-way journey for routes in the northern region.
Rani said passengers can save about 33% in costs by using the monthly special pass.
Another popular route is the Butterworth-Padang Rengas route in Perak.
The special passes can be purchased via KTMB agents or online, Rani said, adding that the company prefers more passengers to use online transactions.
Ridership in the northern region, meanwhile, has dropped to 11,000 passengers in the past year, from 17,000 before the Covid-19 pandemic years.
Rani said there were several reasons but the most notable one is the work-from-home culture introduced during the pandemic lockdowns that have continued for many, till now.
“More people are now working from home, and this has resulted in a drop in passenger movement among KTMB commuters,” said Rani.
KTMB also plans to tap the possibility of offering more trips between KTM Sentral and Haadyai in southern Thailand. – The Vibes, November 1, 2022