During the Malaysia Budget 2019, we have been presented with a good news and there was one particular item that has caught attention of many Malaysian on public transport.
The government will be introducing the the highly anticipated RM100 for unlimited monthly passes for rail and bus services. On today (5 November), our Transport Minister Anthony Loke has spoken at a press conference to provide more details on this monthly pass.
Here’s are the 6 brief summary of what to expect for this RM100 monthly passes
1. The monthly passes does not cover KTM services
As per quoted by the Malay Mail, Anthony Loke has said that the monthly passes will be covering two types of passes;
- The RM100 unlimited monthly pass for Rapid rail and bus services.
- The RM50 unlimited monthly pass for Rapid Bus services alone.
At this moment, these passes can be utilised for all LRT, MRT, BRT, Monorail, and Rapid Bus services within the Klang Valley. And KTM is not included at this moment . However, Anthony Loke was quoted by The Star as saying,
“KTM Komuter trips are longer and therefore will cost a lot more. It also has a different ticketing system to the one used by Rapid. However, the government has a plan to reduce the cost of the KTM Komuter service which will be announced later. Of course, the long-term plan is to integrate the KTM Komuter system with Rapid.”
2. You can start registering for this passes in December 2018
Good news is that you don’t have to wait till next year to register. As according to our Transport Minister, the ministry hopes to launch the pass in early December. The launch will be officiated by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
3. Passes are available for public purchase starting 1st January 2019
Wondering when will you be able to make the official purchase? Starting 12.01am on the first day of 2019, the commuters can already begin purchasing these unlimited monthly passes. Anthony Loke was quoted by The Star as saying,
“Users can start registering for the pass in December, and it can be utilised from 12.01am on Jan 1. So if you are out celebrating the New Year’s countdown, you can already use the pass to travel back home.”
4. These passes are valid only for 30 days
In case you didn’t know, these are monthly passes and it’s only valid for 30 day. To clarify on the exact length of these month-long passes, Anthony Loke said that they last exactly 30 days. He was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying,
“The passes are not based on months and can be used at any time. For example, if a commuter starts using their pass today (5th November), that means the last date that it can be used is on 4th December.”
5. Passes are only available for Malaysians and you can buy them using your MyKad
This passes are exclusive for Malaysian! If you want to buy them, you would need to purchase using either MyKad for ordinary citizens or MyTentera for army personnel. You can also make the purchases using the Touch N’ Go facility. Meanwhile, MyKid card holders between 7 and 12 years of age can buy these passes through their parents
6. The monthly passes can be purchased at all MRT & LRT stations
If you’re wondering where you can purchase these passes, then here is the answer. The monthly passes can be bought at all LRT and MRT stations, as well as at 4 bus hubs in Shah Alam, Greenwood (Gombak), Sri Nilam (Ampang), and the Kajang terminal.
The government is allocating RM240 million annually with the hope to increase the public usage on the public transport. Our transport minister are expecting 200,000 Malaysians to use these unlimited monthly passes.
What are your thoughts on our government initiative? Let us know in the FB page comments below!