Efforts made by the government to improve public transport has produced amazing results, said Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) president Prof. Datuk Dr. Marimuthu Nadason.

“As we can see public transport has become more efficient, thus the increase in ridership.”

“We are improving further with the upcoming MRT lines and in terms of efficiency of buses, taxis and the Light Rail Transit,”

He said the government should increase the allocation for public transport to improve interconnectivity among the various transport networks.
“This could be done in 10 years if it is done consistently, If transport networks are well-connected, there is no reason for the public to buy cars as they would save money.”

Marimuthu said the government should focus on upgrading public transport in rural areas. He said there was a need for a good public transport system in rural areas because many people did not own cars or motorbikes.

Meanwhile, FOMCA deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman urged the government to introduce a new system for 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) cash distribution to prevent abuse. He said there should be limits on what recipients could buy with coupons, for instance, items such as sugar, rice and fuel.

Yusof said the public should realise that BR1M handouts were not meant to be spent in one go but used throughout the year.

“The money is supposed to be used throughout the year so that when the government removes subsidies on basic necessities, they will not burdened.”

“However, many think that the money was given because the government just wanted to share the country's wealth.”

Source : New Straits Time – Prime News - P12 (30 April 2015, Thursday)