RM463mil approved to improve public transport services nationwide, says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Traffic Congestion has approved an allocation of RM463mil to improve public transport services.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this followed the allocation announced in the 2025 Budget as part of the country's preparation to assume its duties as Asean chair in 2025 and for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

He said the meeting also discussed several main issues of road safety and traffic congestion as well as formulated comprehensive solution initiatives, especially in a bid to encourage the use of public transport, especially in the Klang Valley and northern cities.

"Among others, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad introduced the Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) service in June 2024 to improve last-mile connectivity and with 20 vans in operation so far, waiting times have been reduced from 40 minutes to 13 minutes," he said today.

Ahmad Zahid who chaired the meeting, said that the implementation of the special bus lane in July 3, 2023, on Jalan Ampang, Jalan Genting Klang and Jalan Klang Lama, has also successfully increased the number of daily passengers, reduced travel time and improved commercial speed.

The success, he said, has also been expanded to include the new special bus lanes in Penang and the Klang Valley from November 2024, involving Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Cheras and Jalan Gombak, with an allocation of RM10mil.

He said the meeting also decided to make it mandatory to install speed-limiting devices on buses under the completely knocked down (CKD) category from Jan 1, 2026, through the vehicle type approval (VTA) procedure to increase compliance with speed limits and reduce the risk of accidents involving commercial vehicles.

According to Ahmad Zahid, a total of 5,939 deaths due to road accidents were reported as of November this year, with an average of 18 deaths per day, 4,014 of them being motorcycle users.

"The main causes of fatal accidents include personal negligence (1,667 cases), careless exit/entry at slip roads (690), careless overtaking or changing lanes (525), and carelessness/drowsiness/sleepiness (419). This data further highlights the importance of law enforcement and road infrastructure improvements.

"The meeting also agreed to strengthen cooperation between agencies by implementing a comprehensive study led by the Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research (Miros) including data sharing and engagement sessions to ensure a more effective approach in addressing road safety and congestion issues," he added.