Why Kuala Lumpur’s mass rapid transit ridership is not as high as expected, and how can it be improved?
Despite billions spent on developing Kuala Lumpur’s MRT system, many trains run with empty seats while traffic jams persist.
KL Metroscape explores the key reasons behind the rather low adoption rate. It assesses two specific MRT stations and proposes practical improvements to make the system more attractive.
From better connectivity to first-mile, last-mile solutions, here’s what needs to change for the MRT to finally reach its full potential.
Produced by: KL Metroscape
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corbusie
27 Mar 2025 9.21am
Allowed the bicycles on board to help resolve 1st mile last mile.
Cerdik
26 Mar 2025 4.18pm
Increase the gas toll roadtax and insurance and people will think twice to drive
Hart932
26 Mar 2025 1.33pm
We need to allow electric scooters or bicycle for last mile travel to the MRT stations. Elderly can use electric wheelchairs to travel back home via suitable walkways.
Joeganesan
26 Mar 2025 11.35am
Perhaps it’s still more economical to drive and join the congestion on the roads even for a single-occupancy vehicle; Local used cars and petrol are still affordable, bank loan is easily approved. “Antique cars and old senior drivers are allowed on the roads with no restriction. Driving and parking at any place and anytime we like, no restriction during peak hours in busy areas; Parking illegally are tolerable by authority, summon is relatively cheap, can easily paid online too, PDRM also encourage traffic offenses by giving discount regularly, a case of I help you You help me, win-win-situationcaSo what if the offenders challenge and refuse to pay summon, nothing will happen at their door step and to their car. In Msia boleh ma!
Jacob
26 Mar 2025 11.10am
I take the mrt2 to work daily.. Thanks to the “Great” LGE when that idiot was finance minister to cut down on park and ride, now the park and rides are full and sometimes even no place to park.. Instead of building multistory park n rides like in section 16 of the mrt1, they reduced it to just an open aired car park … The feeder buses are mostly empty.. Because the timing is quite bad.. I remember when I come back after 8pm, I’d have to wait for at least an hour before the bus departs…
Zhang
26 Mar 2025 7.34am
Scrap all vehicles above 20yrs. Too many bc bruk
Johan
26 Mar 2025 3.15am
2nd) their stations located right at the highest density point every 800m-1.2km apart, with north south east west access/exit points. Our stations, located very shy from the highest density, located 2km apart and has only 1 or 2 access/exit.
We focus on park&ride, they focus on naturally walking.
For instance, we should have a station at Pelangi-Sunway Damansara and KD Uptown but we build in a rubber estate with thousand parking lot only to fit few train trip during rush hours..
Johan
26 Mar 2025 3.07am
If one had studied in London, Paris, Moscow, NY, Tokyo etc and frequently used their metro or mass rapid system, you can easily find the answers.
1st) more than 50% of the alignment length goes underground underneath houses/building, narrow and all-days congested road.. in our case, only 10% goes underground.. They focus on location.. location.. location.. We focus on construction.. construction.. construction.. That’s why we never dare to grasp the golden opportunity to build along Federal Highways, LDP or in compact city as PJ.
In boleh land, this is utmost important and the only reason for hardwairk, construction, construction and construction mean”lobang, lobang nothing else but lobang”. Got it ?
Acah pandai… kononnya kau lah yang tepaling expert dan paling bijak memberikan komen… Nak tunjuk kat orang yang kau tu hebat, travel ke sana sini. Lain negara lainlah situasinya. Senang je kau cakap ‘construction, construction, construction’, tapi mana hujjah dan buktinya? Kalau kau pandai sangat, kenapa tak buat kertas kerja cadangan hantar ke kerajaan?
Aku dah bosan dengan banyaknya komen yang acah pandai…
Petir menyambar
25 Mar 2025 10.08pm
Im from sgbuloh and i try to take the mrt as much as possible, however like mentioned in the video, sometimes it takes 1 hour by public transport and just 20 minutes if i drive, hence why driving is still preferred. While there’s a stronger effort from the govt to improve public transportation, it really boils down to the people’s mentality. Cars still not giving way to pedestrians, cars and bikes still parked in bus stops, the list goes on and on. I truly hope that kl and all the cities in malaysia is more walkable.
Nashril
25 Mar 2025 11.55am
Lack of access disclosure such as easy parking or connecting buses to stations to places in the area or no public transport to connect to these stations….
Promote these public facilities like in Singapore, well built for Disabled, young family and elderly.. but in the initial stage of the first 10 years for Local Citizens First/Priority.
Prioritize the needs of local citizens first.
Loi Chin
25 Mar 2025 11.24am
The last mile. The feeder bus. A good feeder bus which will feed the voracious appetite of the MRT. The current system of using stage bus is inefficient as they cannot navigate through crowded areas, narrow streets and streets with indiscriminate parking. The frequency is wanting and at certain time of the day, we wait for bus rather than the bus waiting for us. The inefficiency is reflected by the MRT carpark filled to the brim, ehailing cabs in abundance and private cars sending and recieving passengers. Without the last mile made more efficient, the MRT ridership will be stagnant. The current van based transport does not supply the volume needed. A more efficient feeder system is needed. Some suggested bringing back the minibus.
Allowed the bicycles on board to help resolve 1st mile last mile.
Increase the gas toll roadtax and insurance and people will think twice to drive
We need to allow electric scooters or bicycle for last mile travel to the MRT stations. Elderly can use electric wheelchairs to travel back home via suitable walkways.
Perhaps it’s still more economical to drive and join the congestion on the roads even for a single-occupancy vehicle; Local used cars and petrol are still affordable, bank loan is easily approved. “Antique cars and old senior drivers are allowed on the roads with no restriction. Driving and parking at any place and anytime we like, no restriction during peak hours in busy areas; Parking illegally are tolerable by authority, summon is relatively cheap, can easily paid online too, PDRM also encourage traffic offenses by giving discount regularly, a case of I help you You help me, win-win-situationcaSo what if the offenders challenge and refuse to pay summon, nothing will happen at their door step and to their car. In Msia boleh ma!
I take the mrt2 to work daily.. Thanks to the “Great” LGE when that idiot was finance minister to cut down on park and ride, now the park and rides are full and sometimes even no place to park.. Instead of building multistory park n rides like in section 16 of the mrt1, they reduced it to just an open aired car park … The feeder buses are mostly empty.. Because the timing is quite bad.. I remember when I come back after 8pm, I’d have to wait for at least an hour before the bus departs…
Scrap all vehicles above 20yrs. Too many bc bruk
2nd) their stations located right at the highest density point every 800m-1.2km apart, with north south east west access/exit points. Our stations, located very shy from the highest density, located 2km apart and has only 1 or 2 access/exit.
We focus on park&ride, they focus on naturally walking.
For instance, we should have a station at Pelangi-Sunway Damansara and KD Uptown but we build in a rubber estate with thousand parking lot only to fit few train trip during rush hours..
If one had studied in London, Paris, Moscow, NY, Tokyo etc and frequently used their metro or mass rapid system, you can easily find the answers.
1st) more than 50% of the alignment length goes underground underneath houses/building, narrow and all-days congested road.. in our case, only 10% goes underground.. They focus on location.. location.. location.. We focus on construction.. construction.. construction.. That’s why we never dare to grasp the golden opportunity to build along Federal Highways, LDP or in compact city as PJ.
In boleh land, this is utmost important and the only reason for hardwairk, construction, construction and construction mean”lobang, lobang nothing else but lobang”. Got it ?
Acah pandai… kononnya kau lah yang tepaling expert dan paling bijak memberikan komen…
Nak tunjuk kat orang yang kau tu hebat, travel ke sana sini.
Lain negara lainlah situasinya. Senang je kau cakap ‘construction, construction, construction’, tapi mana hujjah dan buktinya?
Kalau kau pandai sangat, kenapa tak buat kertas kerja cadangan hantar ke kerajaan?
Aku dah bosan dengan banyaknya komen yang acah pandai…
Im from sgbuloh and i try to take the mrt as much as possible, however like mentioned in the video, sometimes it takes 1 hour by public transport and just 20 minutes if i drive, hence why driving is still preferred. While there’s a stronger effort from the govt to improve public transportation, it really boils down to the people’s mentality. Cars still not giving way to pedestrians, cars and bikes still parked in bus stops, the list goes on and on. I truly hope that kl and all the cities in malaysia is more walkable.
Lack of access disclosure such as easy parking or connecting buses to stations to places in the area or no public transport to connect to these stations….
Promote these public facilities like in Singapore, well built for Disabled, young family and elderly.. but in the initial stage of the first 10 years for Local Citizens First/Priority.
Prioritize the needs of local citizens first.
The last mile. The feeder bus. A good feeder bus which will feed the voracious appetite of the MRT.
The current system of using stage bus is inefficient as they cannot navigate through crowded areas, narrow streets and streets with indiscriminate parking. The frequency is wanting and at certain time of the day, we wait for bus rather than the bus waiting for us. The inefficiency is reflected by the MRT carpark filled to the brim, ehailing cabs in abundance and private cars sending and recieving passengers.
Without the last mile made more efficient, the MRT ridership will be stagnant. The current van based transport does not supply the volume needed.
A more efficient feeder system is needed. Some suggested bringing back the minibus.