Free rides unlikely to cut car dependency, say experts

 They point out that rather than cost, weak connectivity and poor last-mile links make private vehicle use more attractive.

Offering free rides on trains or buses will not necessarily persuade people to stop driving, say experts.

PETALING JAYA:

 Poor connectivity rather than cost is keeping commuters at the wheel, making free rides on public transport unfeasible in efforts to get people to leave their cars at home, say transport experts.

Ajit Johl of the Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit and transport consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan agree that Malaysia’s bigger problem is not fares but weak connectivity and poor last-mile links.

“Such a system still makes private vehicle use more attractive for many commuters,” they told FMT.

Temporary free public transport is unlikely on its own to persuade large numbers of people to leave their cars at home, they added.

Ajit and Wan Agyl were responding to suggestions that Malaysia takes a leaf out of Australian states Victoria and Tasmania’s book in dealing with the current fuel supply concerns.

Victoria is offering free public transport for a month from March 31, while Tasmania is waiving fares for buses and ferries from March 30 to July 1.

Ajit said he was not in favour of making public transport free, arguing that it should be affordable and sustainable instead.

“Making it free can create long-term expectations and eventually hurt maintenance and service quality,” he said.

He said the government should also move away from fuel subsidies, arguing that cheap fuel only keeps private vehicle use attractive and slows the shift to public transport.

Ajit said the recent cut in subsidised RON95 quota from 300 litres to 200 litres was a step in the right direction.

Given that regular public transport users already have the RM50 monthly travel pass, they do not face the same direct fuel-cost pressure as private motorists, he said.

Wan Agyl said no-fare schemes may raise ridership but do little by themselves to pull motorists off the road in the long term.

“They do not meaningfully shift people out of cars on their own,” he said.

He said commuters respond to the overall travel experience rather than just fares. For instance, he said, travel time, reliability and door-to-door convenience weigh more heavily on daily decisions.

Wan Agyl singled out poor connectivity, lack of frequency and last-mile access as the main weaknesses in the public transport system.

“People are not avoiding public transport because it is expensive. They are avoiding it because it is not consistently usable from start to finish,” he said, pointing to incomplete walkways, unreliable feeder services and uneven coverage.

However, he said, if the no-fare initiative is introduced, it should be targeted rather than across the board.

He identified the Klang Valley as the most viable place to test it because of its rail backbone and relatively better service frequency.

Wan Agyl also warned that giving free rides can backfire if capacity is not increased at the same time, leading to delays, overcrowding and a poor first impression for first-time users.

He said the best way to shield households from rising fuel costs is to reduce the need to drive.

This, he said, can be done through higher bus frequency, dedicated lanes, stronger feeder links, flexible work arrangements and targeted help for lower-income groups. - FMT