The price hikes fever has never gotten better and in fact, the actual state is, Malaysian consumers are trying their best to withstand the heat from it. Not to forget, the government especially the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry, has been showing their care and concern towards Malaysian by ensuring that sellers and merchants are coping with the direction to display prices for all products sold to consumers.

This effort should not end here but more government bodies as well as consumers should work hand in hand to ensure that everybody could live a better life.

We know exactly that subsidy for petrol has been cut down or in others words, drivers have to pay more in order to keep their cars moving on the road. According to these drivers, their monthly expenses on petrol have increased by few hundred ringgit after subsidy was reduced.

It is undeniable that this situation causes hardship to consumers especially since our standard salary is not that high and it’s more burdensome to those who have to carry huge responsibilities to their families.

So what can consumers do to reduce their monthly expenses? Since price for petrol is expensive, why don’t we opt for using public transport for a change? For those who live in the Klang Valley or Kuala Lumpur, 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, besides having a clearer picture on transportation costs. Not to mention, traffic congestion will definitely be avoided by travelling using the LRT, KTM Komuter and the Monorail.

Despite having so many means of travelling, consumers seem to have lack of confidence in utilising them. The reasons are very simple and clear. Let’s start with the train as a means of transportation. Indeed, by boarding the train, one can easily avoid heavy traffic especially during peak hours. However, these stations are lacking security systems whereby there is no security guard placed at the station to safeguard the safety of consumers.

Taking this into account, there is a possibility for criminal incidents to occur at train stations as had been reported by the media previously.

Therefore, railway companies should really consider this issue thoroughly because having security guards is very paramount to make consumers feel confident travelling by train. The government initiative of issuing a 50 percent discount card for KTM in 2013 was a brilliant move to reduce KTM passenger’s monthly expenses, but unfortunately the card was only valid till Oct 31, 2013.

This initiative should be put in motion again because somehow it helps to ease the burden of consumers.

Consider using buses

Malaysian should also consider using buses either as a main or alternative transportation. There are quite a number of buses going back and forth from Kuala Lumpur to any place in the Klang Valley.

It is undeniable that buses might also get stuck in the traffic jam and indirectly makes it no different from driving your own car. But if more people choose to travel by bus instead of driving their own car, the number of vehicles on the road will become fewer and subsequently a traffic jam may be able to be avoided. The possibility is still there although it cannot really be ascertained since our current bus services needs to be improved.       

The majority would agree that the condition of our buses is actually quite bad, apart from having some safety issues. Some of the buses are too risky to keep on the road because the body is no longer intact and it produces sounds when it’s moving. In addition, bus drivers take too many passengers than the reasonable number until it becomes very cramped inside.

Thus, bus drivers must also know when to limit the number of their passengers so that everyone’s safety is assured and feel comfortable at the same time.

In a nutshell, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) should get off the ground to conduct frequent inspections on public transport to see whether they are fit to hit the road. On the other hand, consumers must actively voice out their opinion and suggestion regarding Malaysian public transport systems. There should be a collective effort between both the public and the authorities in order to have better systems.

 

NURUL HUSNA MOHD YUSOF is a legal executive, National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC).