There is no need for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) commuter service users to switch to using private vehicles when travelling, despite the recent hike in its ticket fare.

KTMB President Lt Col (R) Sarbini Tijan said this is because, the company is offering numerous discounts for its customers and they can cut their cost when using their commuter service.

“Apart from that, the safety of a customers’ journey is more guaranteed compared to using own transport like motorcycles,” said Sarbini.

Sarbini said so when commenting on a statement by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) researcher Yusof Ghani who said the drastic increase in public transport fares is like affecting the safety of road users in Malaysia as many would shift to private vehicles, especially motorcycles, which is known as the most dangerous form of transportation in Malaysia.

Although Sarbini admitted that there is some basis to Yusof’s statement, he is confident that there is no reason people should switch to private vehicles as KTMB’s commuter service is very efficient.

“In fact, using public transportation can also reduce pollution,” he said at a press conference at the KL Sentral Station today.

In explaining the recent hike, he said it only involves the journey in the Klang Valley between Tanjung Malim to Sungai gadut and Batu Caves to Pelabuhan Klang, and do not involve the journey in the north and south.

“KTMB is still making a loss because based on our cost, every passenger kilometre costs us 20sen.

“This increase is only 4 cents, which is 15 cents for one kilometer. Before this it as 11 cents per kilometer,” he said.