Boosting ridership on the MRT/LRT
COMMENTS about low ridership on the LRT/ MRT which has been attributed to the high fares have recently surfaced on social media. Low ridership has resulted in lower revenues and could turn the LRT/MRT into a white elephant.
To address the low ridership, it was suggested that the fares be reduced and the RM100 monthly pass, which offers unlimited trips, be brought back. These steps might entice some commuters to come back but ultimately, it would net in the same or less revenue, which would take the LRT/MRT operators back to square one. There is a need to look for alternative marketing strategies to attract the would-be and occasional commuters and keep the existing ones as well. The following are some strategies that can be considered:
1. Allow commuters to take their full-sized and foldable bicycles at all times. The MRT line has reduced its daily planned ridership from 400,000 to 150,000. To boost ridership, let the public bring in full-sized and foldable bicycles onto the trains at all times and charge a reasonable fee for this service. The trains and larger stations can easily handle an influx of full-sized and foldable bicycles. Those stations at the end of the line are gateways to good cycling routes, like Kajang to Hulu Langat and Sungai Buloh to Kuala Selangor. Lots of cyclists are probably itching to get out there to cycle any day of the week. Even at peak hours during working days, there would be commuters wanting to cycle for the first and last mile to and from work.
2. Encourage cycling and walking to nearby stations. The feeder buses are unlikely to meet everyone’s needs and expectations due to traffic conditions and number of buses in service. The authorities should instead encourage cycling and walking to stations especially for those living 2km or less away. A 2km ride or walk at reasonable speed or pace in the cooler morning and evening hours is very doable. In Kota Damansara, Ara Damansara and PJ city centre, cycle lanes or shared cycle and pedestrian lanes close to LRT/MRT stations are already in place but little is being done to encourage people to use them for the first and last mile journey. Folks need encouragement and nudging, and the authorities should be doing this.
3. Provide special reduced group fares on weekends and public holidays. In the early days of the LRT, there was a promotion for monthly pass holders to use the pass to ride for free on the LRT with their families on weekends. Bring this back with some modifications. Allow groups of up to five people to purchase a single/ return ticket during weekends and public holidays only. The ticket should be priced in a way to allow one to two persons in the group to travel for free. Groups of friends and families travelling for leisure during weekends and public holidays may be swayed by this discount package to leave their car at home.
4. Reduce the age for senior citizens’ eligibility for discount fares from 60 to 55. Many would have retired at 55 before 60 was made the mandatory retirement age. They now have to wait for a few years before they become eligible. This is a growing segment as Malaysia becomes an ageing population and cheap public transport would help them to be more mobile and healthy.
5. Introduce a rebate in the individual’s income tax for those using public transport. Tickets can be used as proof of purchase for use of public transport for tax assessment.
6. Reduce fares for all Malaysians under 25 years of age. This is to encourage young working people who have just entered the workforce to use public transport and, more importantly, to form a habit of using public transport.
7. Reduce processing time for the student concession card. Currently, it takes one month to process a student concession card whereas a passport can be obtained or renewed in less than a day. The authorities concerned are not getting their priorities right in making it easy to use public transport. Students using public transport today would be the commuters for work tomorrow.
8. Introduce an integrated pass with time limit charges between all modes of public transport. For example, a commuter who takes the feeder bus to the MRT station and then takes the MRT within one hour gets a discount on the MRT. But if the commuter takes the MRT one hour after first taking the feeder bus, the full fare for both transport will be charged.
9. Offer incremental discounts for larger amounts of top-up. For example, a RM100 topup could be entitled to a 2% discount, RM200 a discount of 3%, and so on. This saves money for the commuters and revenues can be collected earlier.
Innovative ticket pricing will attract potential commuters and commit them to travelling via public transport. For the occasional user who may need to balance the cost and convenience of using a private vehicle against public transport, innovative pricing would give them more flexibility and choices. The loyal and regular commuters are not forgotten as innovative pricing can reward them too.
Innovative ticket pricing will attract potential commuters and commit them to travelling via public transport. The loyal and regular commuters will be rewarded as well.