It has been more than one month since I read the comments by SM Mohd Idris and Choong Sim Poey criticising the proposal to buy 60 double deck buses for Rapid Penang, and I still cannot shake the feeling of surprise and disappointment.
I was disappointed that Mohd Idris likened the purchase of double deck buses to a "novelty".
After all, it was not as if Rapid Penang was going to buy a retired London Routemaster (like Malacca did for the Panorama Melaka City Transport service) or said that they planned to use the double deck buses to operate a "hop-on-hop-off" tourist bus service like the one in KL.
Actually, the 60 buses (part of a purchase of 200) are being purchased for use on existing bus routes that are heavily congested and well-used by passengers.
Buying buses with larger passenger capacity helps a company like Rapid Penang lower its average costs, which allows it to maintain the low fares that are expected by the public and mandated by the government.
The only other option, to purchase 18 metre long articulated buses (also known as "trailer" or "bendy" buses) would be a non-starter because Malaysian law only allows for buses to be a maximum of 12 metres long.
I was also disappointed by the comments from Choong Sim Poey, who suggested that Rapid Penang should focus on reducing traffic congestion in Penang before buying the double deck buses.
My disappointment arises from the fact that Choong is a member of the Penang Transport Council, a think tank which has the ear of the State government and the authority to work with the Penang Island and Seberang Prai local councils to develop transport policy and work to reduce congestion.
In other words, if anyone should be expected to take the lead on traffic congestion issues, it should be the Penang Transport Council, not Rapid Penang which is just a bus company (albeit, a well-managed one with good customer service).
Rapid Penang has already taken major steps to improve public transport in Penang, by focussing on increasing demand for public transport, improving the quality of service, and ensuring that the supply of buses is there to support the growth in demand.
The purchase of double deck buses will allow Rapid Penang to increase passenger capacity on popular, busy routes and keep their operating costs low - which means that fares and service will not have to be cut.
Some people argue that bus operators should offer short distance routes using smaller capacity buses to "cater to the man in the street". Unfortunately, people do not realise that the concept of "shorter buses on shorter routes" does not work well in real life.
At best it forces bus operators to face increased operating costs since a fleet made up entirely of smaller buses requires more drivers, more maintenance, and more fuel overall.
At worst, it leads to the decline in service quality and safety standards brought about by minibuses in KL and later in Penang (and now present in other cities).
The real problem that public transport faces in Malaysia is a lack of cooperation between government and operators.
Government-linked companies like Rapid Penang and Rapid KL face pressure from all sides - hostile bus operators, restrictive local councils, and a demanding public - but the federal government seems uninterested in changing the laws to allow public transport to work efficiently.
What we need to resolve this is cooperation between the public, the bus operators, and all levels of government, with a common goal of improving public transport.
The Penang Transport Council brings together the government and the public to discuss transport issues but sadly, Rapid Penang is not yet a member.
But there is some hope - the Penang government and Rapid Penang will work together on public transport projects such as providing bus service in Bayan Lepas and operating a Penang bridge shuttle.
It would also be wonderful to see Rapid Penang look into installing bicycle racks on Rapid Penang buses, and the State government look into building more bicycle infrastructure, to support the growing demand for active transport and public transport in the state.
Hopefully these projects will be the starting point in a cooperative, positive, long term relationship between the Penang government and Rapid Penang, with the end result of reduced congestion and improved quality of life for Penangites.
