One reason is they find it much quicker to get from Klang to KL Sentral, by waiting at bus stop P2.5 (just outside old Klang Utara terminal) and going direct via Tol Sg Rasau. Instead of much longer route going to Klang Sentral and then taking the bus from there to KL Sentral. The map below might make it clear to those not staying in Klang.

Related articles …

• RapidKL dumps RM12m Klang Sentral, Malay Mail article on 22apr09.
• Follow rules, RapidKL told by Klang Municipal Council president Mislan Tugiu on 23apr09.
• MB to solve Klang Sentral woes by next month Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said on 23apr09.
• delicious.com/sabre23t/klang+bus

• Making their presence felt – The Star Metro Central – 17 Jan 2006 – “There are more Rapid KL buses in the streets of Kuala Lumpur … Although it is weird to see the brand new buses running with only a few passengers”
• Mixed response to shuttle service – The Star Metro Central – 17 Jan 2006 – “Yes, It’s true! You only have to wait five minutes to catch the Rapid KL’s City Shuttle service plying the Titiwangsa, Maluri, KLCC, Medan Pasar and KL Sentral hubs in Kuala Lumpur.”

• Beginning their rounds – The Star Metro Central 14 Jan 2006 – “Commuters will only need to wait for five minutes for the shuttle buses that will run between five hubs – KL Sentral, Titiwangsa, Maluri, KLCC and Medan Pasar … There are 15 City Shuttle routes serving major roads in the city centre … They will have to pay RM2 for a daily pass that allows them to hop on and off buses for the entire day.”
• Better bus service with city shuttle – The Star Metro Central 13 Jan 2006 – “… the City Shuttle Service was part of Rapid KL’s efforts to provide an integrated public service system within the city and the Klang Valley … would be complemented with the introduction of the services of the Trunk-Line and LocalShuttle services by June.”
• RapidKL promises lower bus fares, faster rides – New Straits Times 9 Jan 2006 – “Commuters can expect to save up to a third on return bus fares, and cut travel time by the same amount, said [RapidKL] … There is a catch: Commuters may have to change buses more often once the Klang Valley’s transport services are fully integrated five months from now. The trade-off will benefit them … ‘To provide better service, we have cut the routes into three sections — city centre, local shuttle and trunk line,’ said Westra [RapidKL's CEO] at a briefing today.”
• RapidKL’s City Shuttle Detailed Maps – includes links (click on the route numbers) to stops details for each route. The same info is on their free single sheet folded brochures.

  LISTEN to Pradonet Sdn Bhd chief executive director Mohd Azman Nasir talk about the challenges he faced setting up his business and you would think that he was dealing with either state secrets or something illegal …
  In 2002, Azman together with two others decided to try and break the tight grip a small group of foreign companies had over the Malaysian market …
  â€œWe had to go back to the supplier for every little thing, sometimes even for something as simple as changing the fare structure. That has cost and time implications,â€? he explains …
  There were also cases where certain parts were no longer manufactured, leaving the operators in a lurch especially when they wanted to open new stations or add new machines for existing stations …
  With local providers, he says, the above problems will more or less disappear …
  â€œI guess there is always some risk involved when you move away from a well-known brand and many people are not willing to take such risks,â€? says Azman, whose big break came with the government’s push for a common ticket for all public transport systems in the Klang Valley.
  The project will allow Touch ‘n Go cards to be used to pay fares for the KTM Komuter, monorail, light rail transit (LRT), Express Rail Link and, ultimately, the buses.

  Besides being the systems integrator, Pradonet also worked closely with Iris Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, which handled the million-ringgit project, to design new electronic farecard readers.
  These have now been installed at the turnstiles of KTM Komuter, monorail and ERL stations (which, unlike the LRT, still do not accept Touch ‘n Go cards).
  The job has been completed but the system is still not up and running due to some outstanding commercial issues between Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd (Touch ‘n Go’s operator) and the public transport companies …
  What is unique about the system is that the readers can read different cards. (All existing card readers, including those used at toll plazas, are only made to read Touch ‘n Go cards.) This is because the readers have additional slots for security chips. Similar to the SIM cards in mobile telephones, these enable the readers to read different cards …
  Azman is extremely grateful to Iris for providing the support that he needed as a start-up company. And it is also with Iris that he hopes Pradonet can move to markets beyond Malaysia.
  â€œWe would have gone nowhere without Iris. Now, we hope we will be able to go places with it,â€? Azman says.

Other local ticketing systems companies …

• Hopetech Sdn Bhd – system integration including automatic gate ticketing solutions.
• Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd – Touch’nGo (TnG) system operator
• Transit Evolution Sdn Bhd – TransSets electronic ticketing system and TransSite integrated ticketing express & shuttle bus.
• Vector International (M) Sdn Bhd – provides transportation solutions for gate control system and smart ticeting system.

1. On The Express Route – “With 2,000 buses plying the nation’s highways as well as those in Singapore, former Proton/EON chief Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh seems to be firmly entrenched in the public-transport business. His KTB [Konsortium Transnasional Bhd] group takes over rickety bus operator Park May, which had been plagued by a host of financial and operating problems. Since the takeover was initiated in late 2003, Park May has made a U-turn in its losses and is officially off the PN4 list. Come July, the move will be complete as Park May is expected to hand over its listing status to KTB, which will then move on to other destinations, including overseas expansion.”
2. Bring On The Challenges – “Taking risks that others steer away from has been the hallmark of Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh. Malaysian Business takes a closer look.“
3. All In The Company – “To boost the cost-effectiveness as well as safety and quality of its transport operation, Nadicorp makes its own buses.“

… Interesting read, regarding said Konsortium Transnasional Bhd reverse take over of Park May Bhd listing.

Unfortunately, the stories are not online on MB website. What its front page says, “this site is under construction”, is certainly true. :-/ I’ll excerpt some of the interesting portions of the above later. In meantime, some links regarding KTB and Park May …

• Park May Berhad – corporate website. No mention of KTB or Prasarana on the site.
• Nadicorp Holdings Sdn Bhd – corporate website.
• Injection of 8 units: New firm to take over listing status – Park May takeover by year-end – Nadi’s archive of NST 10 February 2004 article regarding their earlier plan for Park May. “Nadicorp Holdings Sdn Bhd, controlled by Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, expects to complete its acquisition of troubled Park May Bhd by the year-end [Dec 2004] … Nadicorp is in the midst of injecting eight bus operating subsidiaries valued at RM125 million into Park May, whose listing status will be assumed by newly-incorporated company Konsortium Transnasional Bhd … Asked whether Nadicorp is interested in taking over Intrakota Consolidated Bhd, Mohd Nadzmi said: ‘The Government (via Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (SPNB) has decided to buy the buses from the bus company, with Nadicorp managing those buses. That was the original plan.’“
• Rating downgrade for Park May’s CP/MTN, from BB3 to C1 – Rating Agency Malaysia Berhad announcement on 12 December 2003 reports, “RAM has downgraded the long-term rating of Park May’s RM120.0 million CP/MTN, from BB3 to C1, while reaffirming its short-term rating at NP … The Group is also in the midst of finalising the sale of 364 buses owned by Cityliner Sdn Bhd and Len Chee Sdn Bhd (indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Park May) to Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (”SPNB”) for RM14.84 million cash.“

KLIA Engineering Team and Bombardier Transportation Malaysia Sdn Bhd are installing one car each to the two trains, which currently have two cars …
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Bashir Ahmad told a press briefing at KLIA that passenger movement last year rose by an overwhelming 20.56% over that in 2003 …
“The additional cars, costing RM11mil each, can accommodate 50% more passengers. The current capacity is 400 passengers per trip,â€? he said …

… I think that RM11m would be about the same cost as one car of the Putra Line 2-car trains, also built by Bombardier.

• Partial closure of KLIA Aerotrain – The Star on 1 May 2005 reported, “Aerotrain service will be partially shut down from Tuesday to May 24 for upgrading works … During the upgrading period, there will be a 24-hour shuttle bus service to transport passengers between the Contact Pier and the Satellite Building.“
• KLIA Aerotrain – Information on the automated people-mover shuttle system (ADtranz CX-100). [note: ADtranz was acquired by Bombardier on May 2, 2001]
• Bombardier’s Automated People Mover – about “rubber-tired Bombardier C-100 series and Bombardier Innovia people mover systems operate on a dedicated guideway“, listing projects other than KLIA’s including “Atlanta USA, Bukit Panjang Singapore, Dallas/Fort Worth USA, Denver USA, Frankfurt Germany, San Francisco USA, Seattle-Tacoma USA, Taipei Taiwan, Tampa USA“

Amtrak will not be able to run any of its high-speed trains until the summer because of delays in getting replacement parts to correct brake problems on Acela Express cars. The brakes were to last 1 million miles; the current Acela fleet had about half of that mileage.

Amtrak pulled all of its 20 Acela trains out of service on Friday after finding millimeter-size cracks in 300 of the fleet’s 1,440 disc brake rotors. Each Acela train has 72 brakes. This part is unique to the Acela and there is no active production line casting them. Fewer than 70 disc brakes are currently available.

[Source: The Associated Press, article by Donna De La Cruz, 20 Apr 2005; PGN-ed]

[Amtrak had cannibalized parts from other trains to get one or two trains able to run, but quickly abandoned that effort. Risks of custom design and no spare parts... Risks of building a system that really required new tracks, rather than trying to run on old tracks... PGN]

… This same risk of “custom design and no spare parts” is certainly not rare in our local Malaysian engineering and computing scene. We certainly should be aware of maintenance needs over the usable life time of any system that we purchase or specify.

• Amtrak president faults Acela brake maker – The Associated Press on 27 April 2005. “Amtrak President David Gunn said Wednesday he believes the makers of the Acela Express trains overestimated the life expectancy of their brake rotors, forcing Amtrak to pull the entire fleet out of service for repairs … Helene Gagnon, a spokeswoman for Montreal-based Bombardier Inc., said the brakes’ disc face — or front of the disc — showed normal wear. What caused the cracks on the spokes of the brakes was still under investigation, which will take weeks to determine, Gagnon said.“
• Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains sidelined until summer – by Donna De La Cruz, Associated Press writer, on 20 April 2005. “Amtrak will not be able to run any of its high-speed trains until the summer because of delays in getting replacement parts to correct brake problems on Acela Express cars, railroad officials said Wednesday … Before Amtrak’s showcase service resumes, Amtrak’s chief operating officer, Bill Crosbie, said there must be agreement on how long the new brakes will last.“
• Amtrak Acela – Trainweb’s site providing photos, travelogues and news about Acela Express.
• Acela Express – Wikipedia’s article on the train and photos.

  From Sunday, commuters will have to dig a little bit deeper into their pockets when they board any RapidKL bus.
  Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL), the company operating stage buses within the Klang Valley, will be increasing its fares by between 20 and 50 sen from May 1.
  The new fare for travelling within a zone will be 90 sen per trip while travel between two zones will cost RM1.50.
  Trips to three zones will cost RM2 while those covering four zones will cost RM2.50.
  Fares for destinations in four zones like Klang will be tabulated at 7.2 sen for every subsequent kilometre.
  Currently, travelling within a zone costs 70 sen, while travel between two zones costs RM1.20 per trip.
  One has to pay RM1.60 for a trip to three zones while a trip to four zones will cost RM2 per trip.
  The four-level zoning system was introduced in 2000 to ensure fares were fair to promote greater use of public transportation.

… The increases are 20 sen on 70 sen for 1 zone(30%), 30 sen on RM1.20 for 2 zones (25%), 40 sen on RM1.60 for 3 zones (25%), 50 sens on RM2.00 for 4 zones(25%); so increases of about 25% overall, as shown in the table.

• Bus fares up from tomorrow – Pauline Almeida in Malay Mail 30 April 2005 reported, “However, there is some cheer for those using the monthly Rapid bus pass as the company will be introducing a universal bus pass soon … Commuters will still be enjoying the old rate for the May bus passes which are being sold this week … Commuters will only be paying the new rates when they buy the June bus pass which will be on sale from tomorrow … the monthly bus passes are likely to be priced at RM58.50, based on RM1.50 per trip for Zone 1 (from RM47), RM78 based on RM2 per trip (from RM62) and RM97.95 for RM2.50 per trip (old rate, RM74)“.
• Improve services to justify fare, says Khaled – The Star 30 April 2005 reported, «Entrepreneurial Development and Co-operative Minister Datuk Mohd Khaled Nordin said the operators would lose out when the public who was not satisfied with their services used other means of transportation. “That is why I have repeatedly reminded taxi drivers and express and stage bus operators that their service must be good and efficient, more so with the fare increase. The public expects value for their money. The reason why the Government has decided to allow a fare increase is because we want players in the public transportation industry to improve their services,â€? he told reporters after presenting letters of approval for taxi permits to 228 individuals and six co-operatives in Johor Baru yesterday.»
• Taxi and bus fares going up – Lucia Lai on 7 April 2005 wrote, “I hope before the increase can be made, the authorities will check that their service will improve.“
• Bus and taxi fares to rise next month – Malaysia Today on 2 April 2005 reported, “The government announced on Thursday that fares would go up by 0.9 sen to 12 sen per kilometre. The new rates will be effective for five years.“
• Company works to meet pledge – Chin Mui Yoon in The Star 29 March 2005 reported, “Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (Rapid KL) has reaffirmed its pledge to alleviate public transportation woes in the city within 18 months as it promised when taking over the management in Feb this year … the company is currently operating at the minimal requirements for 94 routes but needed 700 more buses to achieve its goals … One of the first steps Rapid KL has taken is to introduce a schedule of 15-minute wait times for buses on its 13 busiest routes.“

On 22 April 2005 Leong Shen-li wrote, “The Government spent RM10mil to set up electronic fare-card readers at KTM Komuter, monorail and Express Rail Link stations to allow commuters to use Touch ‘n Go fare-cards on all systems … But one-and-a-half years later, the fare-card readers remain idle because the rail operators and Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd, which runs the Touch ‘n Go system, are still wrangling over the commission rate … Sources said Rangkaian Segar wants 2.5%, while the rail operators were prepared to pay less than 2%.”

On 23 April 2005 Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy weighed in, “Excuses given by rail operators and the Touch ‘n Go card operator for not launching the fare-card system will not be accepted.” And Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd CEO, Swinder Grewal said it “would be sensitive” to the issue of commission rates in further discussions with the rail operators.

On 24 April 2005 KTM Berhad said in a statement “it will implement the Touch ‘n Go system for its Komuter train service in July following the Government’s call for a common ticketing system for public transportation in the Klang Valley.” with no mention about any agreement on the commission rate.

For reference the full press articles follows, with my highlightings in bold …

(1) The Star 22 April 2005 …

One-card system for public transport stalled
BY LEONG SHEN-LI
PETALING JAYA: The Government spent RM10mil to set up electronic fare-card readers at KTM Komuter, monorail and Express Rail Link stations to allow commuters to use Touch ‘n Go fare-cards on all systems. This was to make public transport in the Klang Valley more efficient.

But one-and-a-half years later, the fare-card readers remain idle because the rail operators and Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd, which runs the Touch ‘n Go system, are still wrangling over the commission rate.

Sources said Rangkaian Segar wants 2.5%, while the rail operators were prepared to pay less than 2%.

This disagreement, they added, had resulted in the operators holding back implementation of the system.

“The system is ready. All that is needed is for the operators to agree and the cards can be accepted immediately,” the sources said.

However, there are indications that KTM Komuter is likely to adopt the system in July although KTM Bhd is still unhappy with the commission issue and will continue to push for a lower rate.

Under the common ticketing system, all public transport systems in the Klang Valley are to accept Touch ‘n Go cards, allowing commuters to hop from one system to another without needing to buy new tickets.

Currently, KTM Komuter, KL Monorail, KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit, which carry a total of about 150,000 passengers a day, do not accept the cards, but the two light rail transit systems – Putraline and Starline – do.

Public transport operators have been reluctant to accept Rangkaian Segar’s rate, saying the high commission will eat into their already narrow profit margins.

Rangkaian Segar, they argue, should recognise that public transport operators are not profit-oriented, unlike operators of privatised expressways, and should adjust the commission rate accordingly.

“However, Rangkaian Segar looks unlikely to budge on this matter,” a source said.

According to the sources, the operators have also appealed to the Government to step in but it has been reluctant to intervene directly because commissions are deemed “a commercial matter”.

Nevertheless, the Transport Ministry has organised several meetings between the different parties since the issue surfaced.

The sources said a breakthrough with KTM was finally reached last week.

But KTM was still unhappy with the commission issue and would continue to push for it to be reduced, they said.

Similar breakthroughs were not expected in negotiations with KL Infrastructure Group Bhd, the monorail’s operator, and Express Rail Link, which operates the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit.

“The two seem adamant about standing firm,” said a source.

When contacted, KTM Bhd managing director Datuk Mohd Salleh Abdullah declined to comment on the commission issue, but confirmed that KTM was looking at implementing the Touch ‘n Go system in July.

(2) The Star 23 April 2005 …

No more excuses, says Chan
BY EDWARD RAJENDRA and ROYCE CHEAH
PORT KLANG: Excuses given by rail operators and the Touch ‘n Go card operator for not launching the fare-card system will not be accepted, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said.

“The parties concerned must resolve the matter right away as it is impeding the country’s vision to have an efficient public transportation system,” he said yesterday.

Chan said the issue should have been resolved much earlier as the infrastructure was already in place.

The minister was commenting on a report in The Star yesterday that KTM Komuter, KL Monorail, KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit still do not accept Touch ‘n Go fare-cards despite the Government having set up electronic fare-card readers at KTM Komuter, monorail and Express Rail Link (ERL) stations one-and-a-half years ago.

This is due to disagreement over the commission rates between Touch ‘n Go operator Rangkaian Segar, which wants 2.5%, and the rail operators, which are prepared to pay less than 2%.

Chan is perplexed as to why this standoff is dragging on.

“It is not fair to the consumers.

“The Government has spent RM10mil to equip the stations with the electronic fare-card readers, so it’s certainly not right if we have companies squabbling over commission rates and stalling our public transport plan,” he said.

Chan was speaking to reporters after witnessing the delivery of the first of 11 locally built economy-class coaches to KTM Berhad, to boost its intercity services, at the ARA Rails Integrated Complex here.

When contacted, Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd, said it would continue to work towards a common ticketing system.

Its chief executive officer, Swinder Grewal said it “would be sensitive” to the issue of commission rates in further discussions with the rail operators.

“It is in our interest to have these rail operators (ERL and KL Monorail) join up with us, so we will definitely look into their concerns,” she said, adding that the parties last met in December last year.

ERL chief executive officer Dr Aminuddin Adnan said Rangkaian Segar’s proposed rates were not reasonable.

Dr Adnan said negotiations would come to a standstill if Rangkaian Segar did not come back to them with a reasonable proposal.

Earlier report:
One-card system for public transport stalled

(3) The Star 24 April 2005 …

KTM to implement Touch ‘n Go in July
KUALA LUMPUR: KTM Berhad said in a statement it will implement the Touch ‘n Go system for its Komuter train service in July following the Government’s call for a common ticketing system for public transportation in the Klang Valley.

The statement was made following a report in The Star on Friday that KTM Komuter, KL Monorail, KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit still do not accept Touch ‘n Go fare cards despite card readers being set up at the stations one-and-a-half years ago.

The delay was due to a disagreement between Touch ‘n Go operator Rangkaian Segar, which wanted 2.5% in commission, and the rail operators who were willing to pay only 2%.

Honda today unveiled the ‘Civic Concept’ – a five door hatchback designed exclusively for the European market. Due for introduction in early 2006 …

… with the rear doors nicely hidden, so the image shown seems 3 doors rather than 5 doors. I’m looking forward to this one.

• Honda Civic Concept – European Spec Five-Door – blog by Walter J Keegan Jr, 1 Mar 2005. “european-spec Honda Civic five-door concept … with a hatch and hidden rear doors.”
• Honda Debuts Civic Concept – 2005 Geneva Motor Show highlights. “the concept that is ‘very close’ to the next generation Civic, is visually a lot more exciting, with an aggressive wedge profile and a four-door layout that looks much more like a two-door coupe – and a very sporty one, too.”
• Geneva Motor Show 2005: Honda – special report. “you can forget the concept part of that, because apart from having over-large wheels and tyres, the five-door car you see here is the one that you’ll be able to buy in the UK from January next year … will be available with Honda’s smooth 2.2-litre turbodiesel as well as new petrol engines”