Brunei to start BRT and add 170 buses

AsiaOne : "In the master plan and white paper, the bus system will face the most changes and improvements with a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system planned, as buses constitute as the main means of public transport in Brunei.

The new BRT system will incorporate four lines across the Brunei-Muara district with a total of 48km of bus lanes, and a frequency of four minutes between each bus.

The new system also targets a total of 126 BRT buses that would run 29,000 trips during the morning peak hours and a total of 228,000 trips per day.

The current bus system would also be enhanced to create a BRT bus feeder system that supports the BRT system, taking passengers to stops not in the BRT lines.

The current bus fleet of 105 buses, in 2013, will also be increased to a total of 275 buses with average bus headway of 10 minutes and a total of 8,000 bus trips during morning peak hours, which is an increase from less than 1000 in 2013."

Solution for Penang, make all buses free

Traffic jams won’t stop Penangites from using cars - The Malaysian Insider: "There are more than two million registered vehicles in the state but the population is only more than 1.6 million, according to Chow Kon Yeow, the state executive councillor in charge of traffic management.

Only 6% of Penang's population uses public buses – a figure that was still low although ridership had been increasing yearly."

Privatized #publictransit encourages risk-taking with peoples lives

The Jakarta Post: "Emanuel said that the current setoran system urged the drivers to drive recklessly. Most drivers tend to “compete” with one another in order to get more passengers and as a result receive more money to take home. Many accidents happen in the city because public transportation drivers drive recklessly."

PT Adaro help with 8 public transportation

Sarawak Daily News: "Tanjung, South Kalimantan: PT Adaro Indonesia through its Corporate Social Responsibility handed eight public minivan to the Government of Tabalong, in order to support the free public transportation for students and teachers, Antaranews reported.

The company PR, Hikmatul Amin, here on Monday, said eight Suzuki APV cars for public transport are contribution of PT Adaro and its sub-contractors, namely PT Sapta Indera Sejati (SIS), Pamapersada Nusantara, PT Buma and PT Rahman Abdijaya.

“The eight units of public transport is a concern from companies to support local government programs to provide free transport services, especially for teachers and students,” said Hikmatul."

Brace yourself for more transport chaos

Free Malaysia Today: "“Will Malaysians one day be able to enjoy good public transportation systems similar to the UK?” This question has always been on my mind."

‘Provide free transport to ease burden caused by price hike’ – BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News | Largest English Daily In Borneo

‘Provide free transport to ease burden caused by price hike’ – BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News | Largest English Daily In Borneo: "KUCHING: Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has suggested for the state government to provide free transport for the people as a direct way to alleviate the burden caused by fuel price hikes.

Baru, who is state PKR chairman, explained that it would definitely be very helpful to the people if the government funded transportation is implemented in towns and cities in the state including in rural areas."



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Roads shut for car-free day

Bangkok Post: news: "City Hall is to close several major roads to all motorised vehicles for a "car-free day" this weekend to encourage the use of public transport. "

Fuel price hike looms for Indonesia's new leader

Itemlive.com: "JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The first item on the to-do list of Indonesia's president-elect is one that successive leaders have struggled with, and could be his toughest: how to wean the country off fuel subsidies that make gasoline almost as cheap as bottled water."

Fuel subsidies have created a mess. Now ending them will create more mess. Solution? Make buses free.

Cars choking Jarkarta - congestion cost is USD 3 Billion per year

The Jakarta Post: "Fighting against Jakarta’s traffic during peak hours burns us out, and burns our money — for nothing. At some point, driving a car starts to be a symbol of immobility rather than mobility.
...Jakarta is estimated to lose US$3 billion per year due to traffic congestion, which is closely related to the rapid growth in private vehicle ownership of 9-11 percent per year, while the existing public transportation systems and road facilities fail to function in accommodating citizens’ mobility (Rukmana, 2014). "

Fuel subsidy bad idea that is getting worse

breaking news: "Together with a smaller electricity subsidy, the handout is expected to cost the country $31 billion next year, according to a draft 2015 budget released last week. That’s equivalent to about 18 percent of total government spending. The subsidy leaves public finances vulnerable to fluctuations in the global oil price and the currency. And it enables households to spend more on imported consumer goods. The result is a yawning current account deficit: 4.3 percent of GDP in the second quarter. If U.S. interest rates rise next year, investors may balk at financing the trade shortfall, just as they did in the summer of last year."

Penang Targets 40% Public Transport Usage by 2030

malaysiadigest : "GEORGE TOWN -- The Penang Transport Master Plan aimed to have a 40 percent public transport usage by 2030 from 3.2 percent currently recorded."

Penang, Malaysia 10,000 new vehicles resgistered every day

‘Do away with street-parking in Penang’ | Free Malaysia Today: "Penang has a population of 1.7 million, but has 2.5 million vehicles, with 10,000 new ones registered daily."

Bangkok free buses and trains extended yet again

สำนักข่่าวแห่งชาติ: "BANGKOK, 29 July 2014 (NNT) – The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has resolved to maintain the free bus and train services for another six months and approved in principle the strategic framework on logistics development. "

Malaysia - 18 road deaths per day

Free Malaysia Today: "“Malaysia recorded an average of 7,000 road accident deaths annually and 18 daily.”
He added that according to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), the numbers will increase to 29 deaths daily by 2020.
On average, Malaysia had about 24 deaths per 100,000 population and in 2012 Malaysia had an annual 2.98% increase in the number of road accidents.
“Road accidents costs the nation an average of RM9 billion annually due to losses of among others, human resources, legal processes and damages to the infrastructure,” said Idris."

Lower fares for 140,000 from today

AsiaOne News: "SINGAPORE - Thousands of low-wage workers and the disabled can enjoy subsidised travel on public buses and trains, under two Government-funded concession schemes that kick in today.

The Ministry of Transport said last week that it has issued concession passes to about 133,000 workers who earn up to $1,900 a month, and to some 7,000 people with disabilities."

Extension of free bus and train services considered

thainews.prd.go.th : "BANGKOK, 25 June 2014 (NNT) - The Transport Ministry’s permanent-secretary has proposed to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to consider extending free bus and train services until the end of 2015.
"

Let’s go for a free ride!

New Straits Times: "FREE public transport. Free public transit. Zero fare. Whatever name you like to call it, the concept of a free shuttle is not new.
Many cities around the world have converted their bus networks to zero fare. These may be set up to ease bottlenecks or fill  gaps in the transport network."

Newly-launched free bus service in PJ will cut costs and reduce pollution

The Star Online: "Petaling Jaya mayor Datin Paduka Alinah Ahmad said the free bus service was one of the components that would help to close the income inequality gap, at the same time increase movement of people and enable social interaction."

Better Efficiency Boosts Public Transport Ridership

BERNAMA : "KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- The continuous efforts to upgrade urban public transport (UTP) under the National Key Results Area (NKRA) since 2010 have resulted in a significant increase of people using public transport, according to the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) 2013 Report issued by the Prime Minister's Office today.

Go-KL free buses a big success -- helping the economy

Najib: Malaysia set to meet 2020 targets | theSundaily: "On urban public transport, he said, there was now better connectivity within the city and between nearby municipalities so that people can choose public transport over other modes.

"One of the GTP 2.0 initiatives is the free Go-KL city bus service introduced in 2012 which helps 18,000 rakyat daily get around the central business district thus decongesting city roads during peak hours," he said.

The new six-car sets for the KTM Komuter service have also helped to improve the waiting time from 30-45 minutes to 15 minutes. Other improvements include better integration of transport modes, where commuters can use more than one mode of public transport, with minimal hassle."

Klang Valley folk now opting for public transportation to beat jams

The Star Online: "According to the Government Transformation Programme report, the morning peak ridership, between 6am and 10am, reached 437,525 by the end of last year. This exceeded the 400,000 target set under the National Key Result Area.

Acting transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the numbers speak for themselves as the Government remained focused on transforming the urban public transport system into an attractive alternative."

Vietnam Tries to Stop China Oil Rig Deployment

TIME.com: "(HANOI, Vietnam) — Vietnamese naval vessels and Chinese ships collided Wednesday in the South China Sea as Hanoi sought to prevent Beijing from setting up an oil rig in an area claimed by both nations, a Vietnamese government official said."

Taib calls for better public transport

BorneoPost Online : "KUCHING: An efficient public transportation will not just ease gridlocks and lessen travel time for commuters but will help tourists go around the state see more places.

Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who pointed this out yesterday, said the government must improve the quality of public transportation in rapidly-developing main towns to facilitate easy mobility of the community.

“Public transportation that is efficient will reduce traffic jam and travel time for people. At the same time, the tourism industry will be able to increase their revenue from an efficient public transport service,” he said at the opening of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here."

Road traffic choking Phuket

phuketgazette : "One thing I’d like to see shaped up is the traffic problem – we have too many vehicles for the current number of roads.

The lack of public transport options in Phuket has forced every household to have some form of private transport, be it a car or a motorbike. Some households have several vehicles, and this is causing our huge traffic problems. The way to reduce traffic congestion is to provide public transport.

We need a bus network and taxi fares that are affordable. If we can provide cost-effective transport, then people will use it."

Government Should Invest More To Upgrade Public Transportation System

BERNAMA : "KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 (Bernama) -- The government needs to invest more to make the current public transportation system more efficient in the country and to get 90 per cent of the population to use bus and rail services, says the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association of Malaysia.

National Council Member Datuk Wan Hashimi Albakri bin Wan Ahmad Amin Jaffri said 80 per cent of Malaysians now opted to use private transport and only 20 per cent used public vehicles."

Petaling Jaya free buses start next month

New Straits Times: "PETALING JAYA: THE free bus service offered by Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), which follows a loop of 28km in the city centre, will be launched next month.
The service aims to ease the heavy traffic jam in the city centre, especially during the morning and evening rush hour.
Prasarana will deploy a fleet of 10 buses to ply the area which will pass through PJ Old Town, Jalan Yong Shook Lin, Section 14, Jalan Barat and Jalan Utara."

Public transport line would be better, say assemblymen

The Malay Mail Online: "“The federal government has to move on from building more highways to increasing connectivity between public transportation, which will benefit the residents of Petaling Jaya and Puchong,” Yeo told Malay Mail."

Petaling Jaya council adopts monthly car-free day

New Straits Times: "PETALING JAYA: THE Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is the second local authority to adopt a monthly car-free campaign after City Hall got the ball rolling in January.
The car-free day, which sees its launch tomorrow, will become a monthly event on the last Sunday of each month."

Free public transport -- a solution to traffic jams for Malaysia

The Star Online: "In many cities around the world, they even offer free public transport to reduce traffic jam. For example, there is free tram service in inner Melbourne, Australia, and free hop-on-hop-off bus trolleys along the 2km to 3km main pedestrian street mall in Denver, US."

Petaling Jaya free buses will come every 5 minutes during peak hours

MBPJ to provide free bus services | Malaysia | The Malay Mail Online: "“The operational hours will be during peak hours so that schoolchildren and working adults can benefit,” the mayor said.

With 10 vehicles serving for this inaugural free service, Alinah envisioned a five-minute frequency during peak hours and 10 minutes at off-peak.

She also said incentives were being worked out to encourage Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) employees to take public transport.

“This will free up parking spaces in PJ New Town and surrounding areas, as well as reduce the number of bays needed,” said Alinah."

Ageing inter-city bus fleet to be replaced

Bangkok Post: "The Transport Co plans to replace ageing inter-city buses with a hundred new vehicles on a three-year lease contract, company president Wuthichart Kalyanamitra says.

The company was in the process of drafting the terms of reference for the lease of the new 15-metre longer buses, he said.

The bid for the bus supplier was expected to be carried out by next month and the delivery of the buses must be made before the end of this year, he said.

Mr Wuthichart said that next year the Transport Co plans to replace old buses with 269 more new buses."

Thailand #publictransit-- more than beaches-- a draw for investors

FT.com: "Powerful draws for potential buyers here include the city’s central location in southeast Asia, the proximity of beautiful beaches and trekking areas, and the excellent dining options and nightlife. More important, perhaps, are the developing SkyTrain and Metro mass transit systems: traffic jams may be the longstanding bane of life in Bangkok, but getting around Sukhumvit (in the centre east of the capital, and a favoured location for expats), Silom and Sathorn (two adjacent upmarket districts in the centre south) has become easier thanks to improving public transport."

Use public transport to reduce expenses

Free Malaysia Today: "So what can consumers do to reduce their monthly expenses? Since price for petrol is expensive, why not we opt for using public transport for a change? For those who live in Klang Valley or KL, it might probably be easier if they use public transport to travel from one place to another since there is a variety of public transport. Furthermore, the cost for highway tolls can be deducted from monthly expenses as well, besides having clear picture on transportation costs. Not to mention, traffic congestion will definitely be avoided by travelling using train such as LRT, KTM and Monorail."

Free bus route planned for Petaling Jaya

Project to show feasibility of using public transport in the city - Community | The Star Online: "IF EVERYTHING goes as planned, Petaling Jaya residents will be able to use a free bus service by the middle of this year.

The 28.2km route will start from the bus terminal in Jalan PJS 3/11 and will serve the Kampung Dato Harun KTM station, Asia Jaya LRT and Sections 14 and 16. Other areas covered include the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and PJ Old Town.

...PJS 2 Taman Dato Harun Residents Association chairman Shamsury Joha also hopes the new buses will reduce the number of cars on the road. “During the morning rush hour, there are a lot of single-occupant vehicles,” he noted.

Seksyen 1B Rukun Tetangga chairman Kok Kuan Yong was concerned about how genuine Petaling Jaya residents would be identified for eligibility. “Many people come to Petaling Jaya for work or run errands. “Even if you use assessment records, how are you going to identify the children of houseowners?” asked Kok.

It would be better, he said, if the service was free for everyone."

Subsidized car parks encourage car ownership in Singapore

Big Idea No. 1: A 'less-car' Singapore: "ONE little known fact about Singapore is that it has one of the highest car ownership populations in the world for a city. (Repeat: For a city, and not for a country.)

Mr Charles Chow, who blogs on transportation issues, says the following: ''There are roughly 550,000 to 600,000 private vehicles in Singapore. Forty-five per cent of households in Singapore own at least one car. This implies that out of the approximate 1.25 million households in Singapore, about 560,000 households have at least one car. There are 200,000 private dwellings in Singapore and slightly more than one million Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. My simple back-of-the-envelope calculation therefore shows that more than 300,000 HDB or public housing dwellings own at least one car. Since HDB dwellings are heavily subsidised, the fact that they are also given abundant and cheap residential HDB carparks represent a further subsidy.''

Mr Chow also notes the contrast between Singapore and other cities: ''From London to Hong Kong, only the top 10 to 20 per cent of household dwellings come with carparks. Without a carpark, residents just simply cannot buy a car. In Singapore, the Government has so generously provided abundant and cheap residential carparking in the HDB estates over the years. From New York to Tokyo, office buildings are deliberately built with few or no carparks.

''In Singapore, that is not the case. Even middle managers can drive their cars to work and park their cars in office building carparks for the whole day.''

Having lived in New York for 10 years, I can only agree with Mr Chow when he says: ''Anyone who has lived in New York or Tokyo would know that even managing directors of companies, senior bankers and lawyers take public transportation to work. In Singapore, even middle-level executives working in Raffles Place drive to work. Is the Singaporean middle-level executive better paid than a senior banker in New York?''"

Buses, new to Phnom Penh, get good reaction

Charlotte Pert

Bus trial shifts into first gear, National, Phnom Penh Post: "“I have my moto already, but I want to ride the bus, because I want to [ride] with my friends.

“I think it’s cheaper also, because it’s only 1,500 riel,” she said, adding that the bus was “more comfortable” than a tuk-tuk.

The added safety of the bus was also a major draw, Pisey continued.

“I never had a moto accident, but I worry because it’s easier to have a moto accident than a car [accident],” she said."

“I want to ask you, my friends… to take the bus,” - Jakarta deputy governor

(JG Photo/Lenny Tristia Tambun)

Basuki Rides the Bus, Embraces Public Transit Regulation for Jakarta Officials - The Jakarta Globe: "Jakarta. Although Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was slow to embrace a city-wide regulation requiring municipal employees to use public transportation on Fridays, the capital’s deputy governor rode a bus to work today and said he had a “pleasant” time doing so.

“I want to ask you, my friends… to take the bus,” he said. “It turned out to be a pleasant experience.”"

Transport Fare Hike Draws Protest in Singapore - #我跳?

WSJ: "Protesters gathered at Hong Lim Park in central Singapore, the only place where demonstrations are allowed here, to criticize a state-appointed panel’s decision last week to approve a 3.2% increase to public bus and rail fares that will take effect in April. Their rally comes amid growing public disquiet over perceived inadequacies in public transport, and follows a series of disruptions to subway services in recent weeks."



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British expat's 'poor people' remark sparks outrage

rappler : "SINGAPORE – A Porsche-driving British wealth manager in Singapore who referred to public transport commuters as "poor people" has apologized after his Facebook posts sparked an online furor.

Anton Casey, a 39-year-old who is married to a former Singapore beauty queen, had also referred to washing "the stench of public transport off me" in one of his posts on the social network."



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Thais rising against anti-democracy movement

bedlamfury: RT @TinyDancer664: Shop window covered w/sign's denouncing #fascism.
#Bangkok

Basuki Slammed After Taking Car, Not Public Transport, to Work

The Jakarta Globe: "Jakarta’s deputy governor has found himself in hot water following his decision to ignore a newly implemented regulation for local government workers to commute to work using public transport or by bicycle on the first Friday of every month."

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#Carfree in Kuala Lumpur

https://twitter.com/WL33

Jakarta, Indonesia, cars system just plain does. not. work.

A key year for city public transportation | The Jakarta Post: "This is because this frustrating congestion can only be solved by providing alternatives to motorists for their daily trips to their workplaces."

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More commuters opt for public transportation

The Star Online: "SPAD said the results were encouraging, and showed that the public would use public transport if the system was good, efficient and reliable."

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