Prasarana said the writer of a letter published by various newspapers might have not accounted for the full cost of private car ownership when the user said he found that it would have been cheaper to drive than take the light rail and bus transit.
The letter, from “Upset LRT User, Puchong” which was published in several publications on Tuesday and by the Sun yesterday, in which the writer described his first trip on the Puchong LRT extension line.
He said it would have cost him RM25 a day to use the train and bus rapid transit and only RM10 for road toll and fuel if he drove to work.
In a statement yesterday signed by Lim Jin Aun, the group’s head of communications and strategic marketing, Prasarana said: “We believe not many motorists were as fortunate as him to enjoy free parking at the office and that the writer might have also inadvertently discounted the overall cost of private car ownership when sharing his views.
“The RM4 per day parking fee (at LRT stations) is a nominal fee to defray the cost in managing and operating the park and ride facilities as our primary intention is to encourage the public to travel on public transport.”
Lim contended that the parking fee was relatively low compared with the parking fees at other facilities.
He also said that the cashless ticketing option used by “Upset LRT User” might not have been the cheapest option as the user claimed. Lim said Prasarana offers MyRapid Smart 30 and MyRapid Smart 7 discounted tickets for frequent travellers.
Lim also pointed out that the cashless fare (paid via stored-value card) for the travel between the furthest stations, IOI-Puchong Jaya LRT and Sunway-Setia Jaya BRT was RM8.20, and not RM9 as stated by “Upset LRT User”.
The fare would have been less if the writer’s journey had been on nearer stations between the two stations named.
Lim also pointed out that another person, “Regular LRT User”, whose letter was published on Wednesday, had said that the RM7.20 fare for a return trip between USJ and Kuala Lumpur was cheaper than the parking fee he had to pay in Kuala Lumpur.
Prasarana also pointed out that the one-way fare between Gombak and Putra Heights on the Kelana Jaya Line was RM4.40 for MyRapid Smart 30 users; RM5.40 using the cashless option; or RM6.30 for cash purchases.
On the Sri Petaling Line, the one-way fare from Sentul Timur and Putra Heights would be RM3.50 for a MyRapid Smart 30 user; or RM4.90 in cash
Lim said the Puchong LRT extension would allow Putra Heights residents to travel to work at KLCC at a lower cost and with shorter travelling time than motorists, who would need to drive to Putrajaya Sentral to park their cars before taking the ERL Transit to KL Sentral and switching over to the Kelana Jaya Line en route to KLCC.”
Prasarana owns and operates the Klang Valley LRT and monorail lines and Rapid bus services in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuantan.