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Buses are still moving around like always, but if you really pay attention, you’ll see that many of them are almost empty, with just one or two people inside. This raises an important question, what is causing this to happen?
Reports show that Rapid Bus, the main bus operator under Prasarana Malaysia, has seen an increase in the number of bus users after the pandemic. However, the numbers are still far behind what they used to be, and even further behind compared to other countries.
In 2019, all Rapid Buses combined recorded an average of about 472 thousand bus users per weekday. During the pandemic in 2021, that number dropped to just 132 thousand, and by 2024, it had only recovered to around 251 thousand.
While things have improved, the number of users is still only about half of what it used to be. This suggests that Malaysia has more work to do in rebuilding public trust and improving the convenience and reliability of its bus system.
One of the main complaints of the bus is punctuality. People often say that public buses don’t arrive on time, making it frustrating for those who depend on them to get to work or school.
Unpredictable waiting times, long gaps between buses, and missed schedules can throw off daily plans leading many to lose confidence in the system and turn to other transport options instead.
Yong Wai Yee, a college student who often takes bus, shared her thoughts.
“I feel like foreign workers make up a large number of bus users, sometimes it’s just me and a few elderly passengers among mostly foreign workers.”
She said she understands why some people might avoid taking the bus, as it can sometimes feel unsafe while taking the bus alone.
“Maybe people choose to drive on their own because of safety reasons, my friends often ask if I’m scared to take the bus alone, I usually just answer I don’t have a choice ” said Yong.
If our public buses continue to have low numbers of users, will bus services be scrapped due to poor ridership?
What do you think could help improve the situation? Comment down below!
Tze Xuan (tzexuan2003@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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