Greater KL public transportation to improve in one year

The Greater KL is expected to have significant changes in the next 12 months as improvements undertaken in the public transportation system will be a game changer in making the capital more inclusive.

InvestKL CEO, Datuk Zainal Amanshah, said within the period, the Greater KL would see the completion of the mass rapid transit, light rail transit extension and bus system transformation, besides improvement in taxi services.

"Transportation is a big different because you can stay at the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and commute to work every day using public transport. That will be good for inclusivity," he told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN here today.

Zainal, who was one of the panelists at the forum, said Kuala Lumpur is also in the right direction to become a smart city, but more needed to be done to improve its infrastructure, basic services and security, and not merely the technological edge.

"Let's make sure that the infrastructure, the basic services and the security are in place. We must also allow the private sector (to have) equal access to land through proper bidding processes so that they can make use of the land and create value," he said.

In the quest to develop smart cities, he called on less intervention from the government, instead it should act as enabler, while the private sector take the lead through public-private partnership.

On the progress of the Greater KL in the strive to become one of the world's top cities by 2020, he said it was on track with infrastructure being put in place, but much needed to be done on talent upskilling.

"Our talent needed to be upskilled, they must have more analytical thinking,” he added.

The Greater KL consists of 10 municipalities surrounding Kuala Lumpur, covering an area of approximately 2,700 square kilometres.