INGENIEUR
Figure 1 : Percentage share of the PT mode ( line graph ) and the increase in income levels ( bar chart ) over the period 1985 to 2018
PT mode share , mainly due to the discontinuance of the minibus services . KL Monorail commenced operations a few years later in 2003 , but the impact to the PT mode ’ s share seemed minimal due to its limited route , encompassing only 8.6km in the Kuala Lumpur city area .
Urban Sprawl
Figure 2 : An old-style minibus used in Kuala Lumpur up to 1998
and they operated on a commission basis , with service operators being paid according to the fare they collected . Citing safety reasons , the minibus service was discontinued on July 1 , 1998 and was replaced by the Intrakota bus service .
Commencement of Urban Rail Operations
In 1998 , STAR LRT , connecting Sentul Timur , Ampang and Sri Petaling , commenced operations . The same year saw the commencement of the Express Rail Link ( ERL ) connecting KLIA to Kuala Lumpur . PUTRA LRT , connecting Gombak and Kelana Jaya , started operations in 1999 . However , there seemed to be no apparent increase in the
As with most capital cities in the world , urban sprawl has also been a trend in Kuala Lumpur due to abundant work and business opportunities in the city centre . However , people opted for larger residential space at more affordable cost further from the CBD . As seen from the map ( Figure 3 ), urban sprawl in Kuala Lumpur increased by up to three times between 1989 and 2014 .
When people have to travel long distances to work in the CBD , they tend to use their own private vehicles due to the longer travel time in public transportation ( refer to Figure 4 for the average travel time for the PT mode compared with cars in the year 2011 ). Due to reduced income and the need to increase coverage that resulted in additional fuel costs , it became less and less sustainable over the years for PT operators to maintain their services . In the Klang Valley , the PT mode ’ s share was at its lowest in 2010 , at 10 %.
10 VOL 92 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2022