Malaysian Buses

A bus stuck right in the middle of a busy junction.

This is not an uncommon sight. Okay, not all buses make such a dramatic statement but this is typical of the Malaysian transportation industry. They run their vehicles - buses and lorries included - right to the ground. 

Unlike the Europeans, Malaysians dont really believe in preventive maintenance. We believe in maintenance only when the vehicle breaks down - not before that. This is just one of the many cases where buses fail. I have seen and read numerous stories where the long haul buses break down in the middle of the night, forcing passengers to wait in the dark for another bus, which usually takes around 1~2 hours to arrive. This is okay if it was a full load but what about those buses that only carry a few people. Imagine your daughter having to wait for a replacement bus in the middle of nowhere at midnight.

The bus industry complain that the fares, which are government controlled, are too low. The Malaysian government controls everything, to the point where competition is stifled, just so that the poor can survive. This is good. But the government should also allow new breed of buses that charge more for better service. The poor can still rely on the government subsidized buses while those who can afford can take the more expensive buses.

But the government will not do that because most people will take the new buses, if these buses can provide prompt, clean and fast service, and the government subsidized bus company will fail, as it always has been.

Once upon a time, there were the pink mini buses that were run mainly by the Chinese. While some of these bus drivers and conductors ran the roads like thugs, atleast things were moving - people got to where they wanted to, quickly and relatively safely. But once the government took control of everything, Malaysia slowed down.

And yet the government wonders why people use cars to get to work. Duh!

We have great trains and buses - but their all un-integrated. We have to literally come out of the train station to get to our connecting train. Go figure.