The move to double the allocation for Smart Selangor free buses is most welcome. Since the launch in 2014, 2.8million passengers has utilized this free bus service, that is available in 11 local councils in Selangor serviced by 34 buses.
With the doubling of budget for Smart Selangor buses in 2017, Selangor would be able to provide 68 free buses to service various routes in Selangor. That is a big improvement from 2016, and far exceeds the promises in our 2013 general election manifesto.
However, we have the potential to reach even more ground if we can expand the services, say to 100 buses on the ground. This can be done within the same budget of RM20mil, if Selangor government implements bus fares for the additional bus routes that will be provided.
By introducing bus fares on the new routes only, we can recover part of the operational cost of running the buses, and thus we can increase the number of buses on the road by up to double. While maintaining the first 34 buses as free buses, 68 buses can run on a modest fare of RM1 per journey, which is affordable.
The main deterrent to using bus services in urban areas is not the bus fare, but rather the reliability of the bus services. Smart Selangor Buses have demonstrated that by sticking to the time intervals as advertised, we can attract a sizeable number of passengers, which 2.8mil rides since 2014.