Transforming the Land Public Transport System in Malaysia Azmi Bin ABDUL AZIZ and Nor Fanim MOHD AMIN

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1 Transforming the Land Public Transport System in Malaysia Azmi Bin ABDUL AZIZ and Nor Fanim MOHD AMIN Abstract The public perception of the existing public transport system in Malaysia has been declining over the years. The challenges in transforming the public transport system into the mode of choice are not limited to increasing infrastructure and capacity. A more integrated and comprehensive approach is required as it is also about improving the regulatory framework, planning structure and level of services delivered. The transformation of the public transport landscape in Malaysia is consistent with principles underlined in the National Physical Plan 2 and guided by the transformation thrusts which form the basis for national policy measures. Introduction Public transportation is a cornerstone of a nation s economy. From cities to small towns, and everywhere in between, it provides transit for daily mobility and links between people and their jobs, education and entertainment. Thus, its availability and convenience defines the quality and promotes positive perception of public transport services in place. Public transportation is a cornerstone of a nation s economy. Service coverage, travel time, reliability, park and ride facilities, comfort and safety are among the determining factors towards encouraging public transportation to become the mode of choice. Moving People, Moving the Economy Malaysia is undergoing rapid development in fulfilling the aspiration of achieving a developed nation status by year 2020 (Figure 1). It is reasoned that efficient mobility enhances productivity and encourages economic activity, thereby increasing national output and competitiveness. The aspiration towards economic competitiveness and wellbeing has led to rapid urbanisation which is currently at the rate of 65% in Peninsular Malaysia. The demand for accessibility to jobs, health and education opportunities increase the need for an effective and efficient public transportation system. Figure 1: Urban Population Trends in Malaysia. Source: National Physical Plan 2. Urban Population (%) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % 66% 57% Northern 84% 88% 72% 48% 74% 65% Central Southern Region 35% 41% Eastern 61% The number of registered private cars has 30 JOURNEYS May 2012

2 increased by 41% from 2005 to 2010 and this situation is further intensified by highway developments into cities leading to traffic congestion. The issue of public transport is growing in magnitude and is further compounded by the complexity related to land use and the lack of holistic approach in development and planning strategies. State Authorities administrate and control land matters and its uses. However, integrating land use and public transportation is inevitable and requires co-ordination and consensus. The number of registered private cars has increased by 41% from 2005 to 2010 and this situation is further intensified by highway developments into cities leading to traffic congestion. Powers of the Commission In moving forward, the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715) and Land Public Transport Commission Act 2010 (Act 714) were enacted to provide the mandate and focus in managing the land public transport (LPT) matters. Consolidation of critical functions, i.e., planning, licensing and enforcement establishes the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) as the single authority to monitor and enforce standards in providing long-term plans for the public transportation system. With a view to achieving a safe, reliable, efficient, responsive, accessible, planned, integrated and sustainable land public transport, while ensuring the provision of affordable services for the carriage of passengers and competitive services for the carriage of goods, the Commission is mandated to develop: (a) A 20-year National Land Public Transport Master Plan (NLPTMP) containing macro policies and plans; and (b) A 20-year Regional Land Public Transport Master Plan (Regional LPTMP) based on (a). National Land Public Transport Master Plan (NLPTMP) The NLPTMP serves as a strategic document outlining macro policies and macro plans guiding the process of transforming the LPT landscape (Figure 2). In formulating the macro plans, a spatial plan-led system of the National Physical Plan (NPP2) has been adopted, which through the settlement hierarchy, covers issues from national growth conurbation to district and rural areas. The plan ensures efficient mobility within and between spatial conurbations across Peninsular Malaysia. Macro level policies define the strategies to address the issue of accessibility, reliability and safety in a responsive, integrated and sustainable manner. Based on the macropolicies, people-centric measures are formulated whilst the sustainability of industry is also addressed. The plan ensures efficient mobility within and between spatial conurbations across Peninsular Malaysia. JOURNEYS May

3 These measures are guided by four key thrusts, i.e., collaborative planning and governance, regulatory strengthening, service quality and excellence, and infrastructure and capacity. Figure 2: Land Public Transport Landscape Two key measures are the development of the Regional LPTMP and improvements on the Planning and Development Control, which recognises local and sectoral priorities. A partnership approach will ensure that these measures are aligned with Statespecific directives on land use policies. A cohesive and concerted effort between Federal, States and Local Authorities needs to be established... Regional LPTMP A region, as defined under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, consists of an area situated in two or more States. The Regional LPTMP will therefore comprise a series of plans for regions that are defined in terms of economic, geographical and demographic needs. Collaborative Planning and Governance Lack of comprehensive planning is one key factor which creates connectivity gaps, thus rendering the LPT services inefficient and not user-friendly. A cohesive and concerted effort between Federal, States and Local Authorities needs to be established and clearly defined roles and responsibilities is critical to ensure a seamless system is put in place. Utilisation of top-down level policies will provide guidance for the public transport development of the growth conurbations (as defined in NPP2). The NLPTMP has identified strategic focus in meeting the needs of intra region mobility based on the economic aspirations in each Structure Plan. Development of the National Planning Toolkit provides a bottom up response to local issues identified through stakeholder engagement and analysis of local data and needs. The toolkit also serves as a platform for effective consultation, consolidation and cooperation between Federal, State and Local Governments. 32 JOURNEYS May 2012

4 Planning and Development Control Planning for phasing and land banking is essential to ensure a sustainable approach towards better integration of land use and public transport. The aim of development control is to ensure land use development is in accordance with the Structure or Local Plans. The development control process often involves land use zoning, density, parking and plot ratio control to prevent incompatible land use development and preserve the desired functions and characters of the land use zoning. receptive to adding density and more land uses over time. Regulatory Strengthening Many of the key challenges identified for the development of LPT services in Malaysia revolve around the need to strengthen the regulatory framework. The aim is to transform the LPT services by raising standards across all modes and creating a viable industry. Improved level of services for bus, taxi and rail inevitably changes the negative perception of using LPT. Under the current process, major developments will be required to include a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) report to provide quantitative analysis and qualitative assessment of the effects that the proposed development will have on the surrounding highway network, and the scope for mitigating them. There is no specific requirement on the assessment of public transport provision and performance. Planning for phasing and land banking is essential to ensure a sustainable approach towards better integration of land use and public transport. The Regional LPTMP will be used to guide the planning authorities in reviewing and prioritising the new development areas to ensure developments are close to LPT corridors and developed in a way that is Bus The provision of a well-planned, integrated bus network forms a central focus of the Regional LPTMP, especially where the bus operators are provided with contractual incentives to improve the quality of the service and to maintain the inherent flexibility of road-based LPT. There is a fundamental need to move to a revised structure in the delivery of bus services both on the road and in terms of regulation and procurement, as the existing structure fails to enable effective planning to take place. A transition process has been developed to move from the existing service provision within the industry to a new model for regulatory regime, one which will assist in developing and allocating risks and responsibilities to key stakeholders, and JOURNEYS May

5 minimising the risk of service disruptions from outside influences to ensure effective delivery. The key drivers which are required, principally regulation, network design and planning, enforcement, and performance monitoring, will be delivered in phases. In order to move the industry forward, network design will be coupled with effective integrated network planning and fare structures. Most importantly, passengers and potential passengers must be able to recognise a stable network of services provision across all modes and be provided with reliable comprehensive passenger information to plan their travel and which provides assurances during the course of a LPT journey. Improved level of services for bus, taxi and rail inevitably changes the negative perception of using land public transport. The regulatory, and as appropriate, contracting regime, must provide a measure of reliability and stability such that all partners can have reasonable certainty as to what is expected of them in terms of service delivery. Migration from a vehicle-based licensing regime to operator-based licensing regime further strengthens the controls over the level of services rendered. Equally, operators, notably bus operators, must have certainty that the standards expected of them will be protected by the regulatory, licensing and enforcement process from the impact of unauthorised competition. The regulatory, and as appropriate, contracting regime, must provide a measure of reliability and stability such that all partners can have reasonable certainty as to what is expected of them in terms of service delivery. The new regulatory regime will enable the authority to: Define the network; Set fares and ticketing structures; Tender services or corridors or clusters of services; and Establish a performance management regime regime. Taxi Taxis have a specific role to play in the fully integrated LPT system and will therefore be important for the Regional LPTMP. They are able to provide services in situations where regular LPT services (bus, rail) are not available, for example, in outlying areas, or outside their usual hours of operation, such as late evenings. It is important that taxis are seen to complement and reinforce public transport services rather than compete with them. The Regulatory Framework shall seek to balance supply of taxi services with demand, in order to ensure that movement 34 JOURNEYS May 2012

6 and economic growth is not restrained and there is no over competition, which will result in a reduction of quality. The NLPTMP recommends adopting a market led approach along with enhanced quality standards and tightened licensing requirements. It is important that taxis are seen to complement and reinforce public transport services rather than compete with them. A Taxi Transformation Plan has been designed to: regulate the taxi industry; prescribe standards for operators and drivers; set safety standards for vehicles; and promote innovations. Industry Performance Management In order to ensure accountability of actions and investments, data intelligence is important to measure the impact of the policies and interventions introduced once the transformation process commences. Establishment of an effective Performance Monitoring Regime (PMR) will ensure that data flows freely between the public and private sector. A PMR would ensure that the operator returns full and complete data specified by the public sector - on a periodic basis. Consequently, this will enable development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the provision of services and for these KPIs to be monitored effectively. Service Quality and Excellence The review of existing issues identified a number of key themes where the service quality of existing LPT services is perceived to be poor. As a result, LPT mode share has declined as the use of private vehicles provides a more attractive option for users to get to their destinations. These concerns not only reflect the level of service but also the quality of the facilities such as bus stops, stations, interchanges and access to these facilities. Thus, there is a basic requirement to improve the quality of LPT service provision in order to provide better service for existing users and create an attractive option for people to transfer from cars and, therefore, increase LPT modal share. Infrastructure And Capacity With population forecast in Peninsular Malaysia to grow to 32.5 million by 2030, there will be a need to provide additional capacity and infrastructure (Figure 3). This is not only to accommodate the transfer of users from private vehicles, but also new users. The growth in population will be spread across the country and therefore appropriate infrastructure will be needed to cater to demand. Failure to provide capacity LPT mode share has declined as the use of private vehicles provides a more attractive option for users to get to their destinations. JOURNEYS May

7 Figure 3: Population Forecast in Malaysia Urban Population 18,000,000 16,000,000 14,000,000 12,000,000 10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 Northern Central Southern Eastern Year will put increased pressure on an already congested highway network, both urban and inter-urban, impacting on the economy and the environment. In many areas there is a need to develop additional capacity in order to cater to growing travel demands. In collaboration with State governments through their Regional LPTMP, a high quality LPT system will be developed. The modes selected will be appropriate to the local demands in the corridors that are developed. In some cases there may be opportunities for rail within key corridors, subject to detailed feasibility analysis of demands and scheme costs. conventional services and the development of high quality BET and BRT services. The emphasis will be on the provision of high quality infrastructure which is viable in terms of operating costs. The emphasis will be on the provision of high quality infrastructure which is viable in terms of operating costs. Conclusion A key focus of the national transformation initiatives is the development of an integrated LPT system that ensures efficient mobility within and between spatial conurbations across Malaysia. In many circumstances the bus network will be the key provider of LPT capacity through The growth in population will be spread across the country and therefore appropriate infrastructure will be needed to cater to demand. Policy directives conform to the strategic objectives of the NPP2, pertaining to urban conurbations and spatial policies. The four transformation thrusts provide a strong platform for consolidation of all aspects of LPT service development and delivery under a coherent policy direction. 36 JOURNEYS May 2012

8 These transformation thrusts enable a coordinated approach in implementing national transformation initiatives, thereby delivering tangible and consistent improvements in Malaysia s LPT network. References Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat National Land Public Transport Master Plan (Draft dated 30th January, 2012). Malaysia Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa Semenanjung Malaysia (2010). National Physical Plan 2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Azmi Bin Abdul Aziz is currently the Chief Development Officer of Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Malaysia. His key role is to manage the development of policy and planning with regard to the transformation of the nation s land public transport (LPT) landscape. He is also responsible for supervision of the first MRT project in the country. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Scomi Engineering Bhd. While with Scomi Engineering, Azmi had served as the Project Director for India s 1st monorail project in Mumbai. Based in Mumbai, he was responsible for management of the project at strategic level and responsible in designing the project control mechanism system. He had also served as the General Manager of Rail Operations for Rapid KL and Chief Operating Officer of KLRT, a subsidiary of Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad. Azmi brings with him a rich and exciting 25 year career serving both the public and private sectors in the transport industry, especially rail. Nor Fanim Mohd. Amin is currently serving as Senior Manager, Policy, Planning & Research Division of Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), Malaysia. She is involved in the development of the National Land Public Transport Master Plan (NLPTMP) which includes the National Land Public Transport Policy. Prior to this appointment she was functioning as an Institutional Specialist for the DANIDA advising Ministry of Housing and Local Government in setting their policies and plans for States and Local Governments. She has also worked on development of economic instruments as one of the policy tools in managing the environment under the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister s Department. JOURNEYS May