Public transport provider Prasarana’s press conference following a briefing for Malaysia’s Minister of Transport YB Loke Siew Fook on 7th January was well attended by media eager to see how Prasarana Malaysia Berhad had performed in the past three years with regard to public transport service delivery. As a wholly-owned government entity, Prasarana drives the transformation of the country’s public transportation systems and services through the LRT Ampang/ Sri Petaling and LRT Kelana Jaya lines, the KL Monorail system in Klang Valley. They are also responsible for bus operations in Klang Valley, Penang and Kuantan. Prasarana also operates and manages operations through its subsidiary Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, for MRT Corp (Mass Rapid Transit Corporation), which owns the MRT assets the Kajang MRT and Putrajaya (since 2023).
Public transport service delivery – does it meet public expectations?
Although there are some areas which could be strengthened, the efforts of the past few years have been generally positive. The presentation to media included a series of well presented slides detailing a number of service oriented criteria and confirming a growth in ridership between 2024 and 2025 of 11% with a similar growth pattern projected in 2026. The issue of system failures was also addressed, with many outages attributed to cable theft. However although service delays caused inconvenience to travellers, most were resolved within 15 minutes.
Facilities provided in the stations are now more consistently available, the figures show lifts, escalators and lighting have been maintained well (99% or better) with toilets slightly behind. The main area of weakness appears to be leaking, although specific details were not available, other than leaking roofs. In the near term the company seems to be moving towards a culture of predictive maintenance rather than waiting for a failure, as well as long term service support.
Upcoming improvements
Already in place are twenty-seven new train sets on the Kajang line, with the provision of an additional sets of 4 car trains for the Monorail and overhaul of trains on the Ampang line in progress. Also in the works is the replacement of 25 trains on the Kelana Jaya line. Monorail passengers will be pleased that the upgrading of the platform Auto gates is completed and provision of similar gates is in planning for the Kelana Jaya and Ampang lines.
What about the buses?
For public transport service delivery to be truly effective, the rail systems need to be supported by bus networks. All three existing bus services have continued to expand and the newly introduced Rapid On-Demand has proven popular with 300 vehicles expected to be available in 2026. 2025 saw 301 bus stops completed, with 43 under construction. No information was given on the design of the stops, as some we have noticed are only a post with the bus route map attached. Hopefully these will be included and improved in the further 250 to be provided during 2026, 200 in Klang Valley and 50 in Penang. Of the 16 walkways completed in 2025, we have noticed that some seem to stop abruptly, a significant problem when it rains. Another 17 are planned for completion in 2026.
New buses and replacements
Apart from around 300 new diesel buses to be added in 2026, there is a focus on introducing electric buses and vans, although we may only see these introduced in early 2027. For those waiting for the start of service on the new Shah Alam line (LRT3), there is still no definite launch date, as test runs are still being completed. Of the 22 train sets to be used on this line, only three have completed the mandatory fault-free run (FFR) required before the service can commence and it appears that these may need to be repeated, according to the Transport Minister yesterday.
…. (The FFR) has yet to commence as there are still some issues that the contractor has to resolve. As of now, there is no fixed date yet.
He added that the Public transport operator Prasarana and the main contractor for the project are scheduled to meet next week in order to determine the next course of action. The 37-km line will 25 stations (including 5 reinstated) from Bandar Utama to Johan Setia, with interchanges at Bandar Utama (Kajang MRT) and Glenmarie (Kelana Jaya LRT).
Find out more information and plan your journey at MyRapid.com.my and select your preferred service from the links near the top of the page.,
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