COMMENT | More needed for free public transport in JB to be gamechanger

COMMENT | Since March 2022, buses with the myBAS livery have plied the streets of Johor Bahru.

Even though the federal government-funded initiative first made its debut in 2015, until recently, MyBas was only present in towns with a relatively small population, such as Kangar, Seremban, Ipoh and Kuala Terengganu. By expanding the service into Johor Bahru, which has about 1.5 million inhabitants, myBAS could potentially serve a much larger population catchment compared to previous years.

It would be useful first to understand how the new financing model for myBAS is intended to improve bus service standards before evaluating its effectiveness.

Under the conventional financing model, privately-run bus companies are dependent on farebox revenue for income. Even though bus ridership figures are unavailable for Johor Bahru, public transport as a share of overall motorised trips is only 20 percent in Klang Valley – which has Malaysia’s most utilised and developed public transportation.

Ridership figures for Johor Bahru are, therefore, expected to be significantly lower. Low ridership and farebox revenue discourage bus operators from continuing their operations, with profit margins possibly negligible or even in the red.

The Transport Ministry has recognised that public transport is essential to...