At the tabling of Budget 2019, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng introduced several incentives to encourage the use of public transport in the country.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government announced a MYR100 unlimited public transportation pass for RapidKL rail and bus networks in partnership with Prasarana Malaysia Berhad.
A MYR50 will also be introduced, covering buses only.
The Government is allocating MYR20 million for this project.
Currently, RapidKL offers concession cards for senior citizens, students and persons with disabilities. Concession cards enables qualified commuters to enjoy 50 percent savings on their travels on RapidKL’s buses, LRT, Monorail, MRT and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services.
Additionally, the free GoKL bus service will be expanded to cover more areas. An additional MYR20 million will be allocated for this.
GoKL is an initiative by the now defunt S.P.A.D to improve public mobility in the central business district of Kuala Lumpur. It was introduced in August 2012 as part of Malaysia’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP 2.0).
The Budget 2019 carries the theme “Credible Malaysia, Dynamic Economy, Prosperous Rakyat.” The total budget for 2019 is MYR314.55 billion (excludes MYR2 billion contingency fund), up 10.25 percent from the previous budget.
Of the total budget, MYR259.85 billion is allocated for operational expenditure, while MYR54.7 billion is allocated for development expenditure.
The Government expects GDP to grow 4.9% in 2019.
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