KUALA LUMPUR: The government announcement offering free fares for all RapidKL public transport for a month yesterday has gone down well with many residents in the Klang Valley who have to endure the infamous traffic congestion that plagues the capital and its surrounding areas.
The forms of public transport under RapidKL include the Light Rail Transit (LRT), the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the RapidKL monorail and bus services, as well as the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad Komuter train service.
Tsoo Kah Yen, 30, a commuter met by Bernama at the Maluri MRT station today said that she allocated around RM300 a month for transport as she chose not to drive and would use public transport from her home to her destination.
Tsoo, a counselor at a social enterprise, admitted that the free transport will help her save this month.
“I started using the train since I was in university about ten years ago. I stay in Ampang and work in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, so of course, it helps to save my budget for this month’s transportation fee, because I dont drive,“ she told Bernama.
Sharing the same sentiment, Nur Aqilah Haikal Aman, a 19-year-old college student in Kuala Lumpur, said that it would help her parents this month as they were the ones paying for her transport.
“The free transport helps because I don’t need to top up my Touch n Go this month, so I get to save a bit,” she said as she made her way to the Kuala Lumpur Library via LRT today.
Fellow commuter, Muhammad Iqmal Hamid, 35, meanwhile said that the free transport would not only help commuters but would encourage more people to use public transport.
Checks at the Hang Tuah LRT station found users enjoying the free rides by obtaining entry tokens at counters while Touch n Go card holders, along with those using monthly passes using their cards as normal, without having their balances deducted.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced yesterday that the government would provide free fairs for a month at the launch of the first phase of the Putrajaya MRT line at Kampung Batu MRT station, Taman Batu Permai.
He was reported to have said that the initiative would help Malaysians and also reduce traffic congestion. — Bernama
