The recently commenced Sri Petaling LRT Line was expected to ease traffic congestion and offer citizens a better and more convenient way of travelling. However, things seem to be otherwise after its commencement as most people feel that it’s not worth the switch.
Recently, a resident of Puchong pointed out that travelling via car is more convenient and cost saving, even when she has to endure heavy traffic congestion.
The travelling time from Puchong to her office in Sunway takes roughly about 10 minutes during off-peak hours and 30 minutes during peak hours. It costs about RM150 per month (about 20 working days), which is less than RM10 per day for the fuel, toll and free parking at the office.
But it was a totally different story when she took the newly commenced LRT line. Her trip from Puchong LRT Station to Sunway via the Sunway BRT alone cost RM18 for both ways, park-and-ride charges of RM4, plus fuel charges back and forth from and to the LRT station. This cost about RM25 per day and RM500 per month (about 20 working days).
This also includes the hassle of changing trains at the interchange station and travelling in a crowded train, where the travelling time takes up to over an hour. In addition, this is the cheapest rate as the cashless option was used.
Besides this, the application of discount card for students and senior citizens pose hassles as well, as one has to travel all the way to Pasar Seni in order to do so. The process time takes about two weeks. More concession counters should be offered since not all will find it convenient to travel so far to KL, in this case, students and senior citizens.
The situation has frustrated citizens as most are still driving instead of using public transportation. Public transportations are meant to be cheaper compared to driving ourselves, yet it’s unacceptable that such transportations are overpriced up to this extent.
For now, the newly commenced LRT Line has failed to reduce the traffic congestion and encourage citizens to use the service.
Mangalesri Chandrasekaran, Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email mangales@propertyguru.com.my
