KUALA LUMPUR: Over 60% of users of the My50 travel pass offered by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd are from the B40 group, demonstrating the value of the pass in managing the cost of living while encouraging the use of public transportation, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic).
At a press conference at the Pasar Seni LRT station here yesterday, Loke said the government actually subsidises each user of the My50 pass to the tune of RM1,200 a year as the actual cost of the pass that offers unlimited train and bus rides on the Prasarana network should be RM150 each per month.
He was speaking to reporters after attending the post-Budget 2025 Rapid KL operations briefing session, where he said an average of 220,000 Malaysians subscribe to the pass each month, double the number of 98,000 since its launch in 2019. It is expected to increase next year when the Shah Alam line (formerly known as LRT3) is expected to enter service in the third quarter.
“We welcome more people to use the My50 pass, as it costs less than RM2 to travel from their homes to work. Even the use of motorcycles costs more than the pass.
“I have also asked Prasarana to integrate the pass with Touch n’ Go e-wallet to reduce the need to queue up at train station counters as users can just renew their pass via the e-wallet.
“We will integrate this with Touch n’ Go over the next few months,” he said, adding that the move should take effect next year.
On the reliability of the MRT, LRT and monorail network in the Klang Valley, he said over the last two years, the average number of trains serving the Kelana Jaya LRT – the most used urban rail line in Malaysia – has increased from 41 sets (in 2022) daily to 56 sets currently.
Additionally, the line’s peak-hour intervals has improved from four minutes to three minutes.
“Although there is still congestion during peak hours, it is more manageable than before. We are targeting a peak-hour interval of 2.8 minutes with the addition of six trainsets next year (for Kelana Jaya line).
“As for the Kajang MRT, there were 28 train sets running in 2022, but we have 39 sets that are operational now. The peak-hour waiting period has been reduced from 5.9 minutes to four minutes,” he said, adding that the newly-opened Putrajaya MRT has 37 trainsets.
He added that the reliability of the trains operated by Prasarana has improved due to the increased number of trains since 2022, alongside reduced disruptions especially on the Kelana Jaya LRT, with 49 disruptions in 2022 compared to 21 incidents as of September.
At the tabling of Budget 2025, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, said the My50 pass will be continued in 2025 to benefit around 180,000 Klang Valley bus and rail users.
The Finance Ministry, which oversees Prasarana, has received an allocation of RM750mil in Budget 2025 for public transport subsidies, including selected air services.
