Transport Budget No Game Changer But In Right Direction Says Expert

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Wan Agyl Wan Hassan says the budget focuses on ensuring public transport reliability and improving commuter experience, but overall spending is still too conservative.
Malaysia must start treating public transport as a productivity investment, not a social cost, says Wan Agyl Wan Hasan. (Bernama pic)PETALING JAYA: The 2026 transport budget is headed in the right direction with initiatives geared towards improving people’s daily commute, though it may not be a game-changer, says an expert
Transport consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan said the budget had a focus on ensuring public transport reliability and improving commuter experience, representing a “big step forward” and a shift from the usual focus on grand megaprojects.
Wan Agyl, who founded the think tank My Mobility Vision, cited the funds earmarked to procure new LRT trains, buses and on-demand vans, especially since buses have been quite neglected over the decades.
He said the government’s overall spending on public transport was still quite conservative and must be raised over time.
“Public transport takes up less than 3% of our development expenditure, when countries with strong mobility systems invest at least double that … so while the intention is right, the scale doesn’t yet match the challenge.
“If Malaysia wants to reduce congestion and make public transport the natural choice, we have to start treating it as a productivity investment, not a social cost,” he told FMT.
Wan Agyl warned that the RM200 million set aside for stage bus services would not yield much impact unless the funds were managed properly. The masses measure mobility by minutes, he added.
“We can’t just buy more buses; we need to make them work better and monitor their performance. Singapore got this right, paying operators based on performance with penalties for late or unreliable services. That’s what keeps things running on time.
“Efficiency in public transport requires efficient governance. Adding vehicles alone doesn’t fix inefficiency. What’s missing is coordination,” he said, repeating his call for the revival of the now-defunct Land Transport Commission, or SPAD.
He suggested that the government start with having a “reformed SPAD” overlooking the greater Kuala Lumpur or Klang Valley region, as many agencies and local councils were working in silos.
“We need one central body that can plan, integrate, and measure performance across all modes. And we must start measuring what actually matters: minutes saved, on-time arrivals, and passenger satisfaction. I’d like to see a national mobility dashboard that reports these numbers publicly.”
Road safety part of national development
Wan Agyl hailed “quick wins” under the budget aimed at boosting road safety, particularly the installation of LED lights in accident-prone areas and incentives for the installation of speed limiters in heavy vehicles.
“It’s good to finally see safety being treated as part of national development, not just an enforcement issue,” he said.
He nonetheless called for Putrajaya to emulate Australia’s approach of having a chain of responsibility in crashes, especially when it involves heavy vehicles. “Everyone in the logistics chain, from the operator to the cargo owner, should be held accountable for unsafe practices.”
He also suggested setting up a national safety dashboard with real-time data on crashes, saying it would allow for continuous road safety improvements instead of knee-jerk responses to major tragedies.
Public transport fund
As Parliament debates and makes changes to the budget, Wan Agyl called for a public transport fund to be established with the goal of ensuring stable financing for service contracts, fare subsidies and innovation projects.
He said this fund could be backed by revenue from traffic summonses and even congestion charges, to move away from determining public transport allocations on a year-to-year basis, which makes long-term planning hard.
He also proposed introducing a policy to get rid of old, unsafe and inefficient heavy vehicles in the commercial sector, saying this should be guided by safety compliance and emission standards.
Wan Agyl also suggested creating a small yet strategic innovation fund to support on-demand pilot projects under the transport ministry, mooting AI-driven route planning and data integration.
“The 2026 budget finally fixes the basics. The next step is to build institutions and incentives that can sustain those fixes. We’ve got the right direction, but now we need the courage to move to redesigning the system itself.” - FMT

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