Penang Public Transport Woes

Penang folk are frustrated that promises to regulate bus operators have yet to be fulfilled.

THE roads are choked, motorists just do not bother to follow the most basic of traffic rules and heaven help those who have to rely on public transport in Penang.

This is not an exaggeration of the situation, although the public bus service has somewhat improved following the entry of RapidPenang since late last year.

The problem of a pathetic public transportation system on the island once regarded as the Pearl of the Orient has been widely talked about, debated and dissected. However, nothing much has been done in solving the problem.

The boneshakers that pass off as public buses are still on the road and taxi drivers have stubbornly refused to meter their fares despite the warnings which date back to the 1990s by licensing authorities.

The thing that frustrates people the most about the mess are all the empty promises of better things ahead.
Penangites have been promised that public bus operators would be regulated and the bus leasing system would be stopped, but this has yet to happen.

If anything, the bus operators have become more brazen in breaking every rule in the book since RapidPenang came into the picture.

As for taxis, locals can hardly afford to hop into one these days, even if it is to travel short distances due to the exorbitant fares the drivers demand.

Most taxi drivers in Penang have the mentality that they are only providing their services to foreigners flush with pounds, euros and US dollars.

Ask any taxi driver about the high fares and one is sure to get the answer: "We are here for the tourists. It doesn't matter if locals cannot afford us."

It is due to such narrow-mindedness that the taxi drivers are willing to resort to violence to get the tourists.

This was demonstrated recently when a group of 20 limousine drivers surrounded two vans carrying Indonesian tourists who had just arrived on a package holiday here.

The limousine drivers were angry that the hotels the tourists were lodging at had arranged for vans to pick the visitors up at the airport.

The limousine drivers subsequently beat the van drivers up before bundling the tourists into their limousines to be driven to the hotels.

It doesn't take much to figure out that public transport providers in Penang have become kings on the road, thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of enforcement authorities.

The people here are still waiting to see if promises will finally turn into a reality.

However, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed now that there is greater urgency to address the problem following the rise in fuel prices.

Courtesy: NST