Abstract:
The car is the second (40%) most common mode of transportation
in Malaysia. The rapid increase in the use of personal transportation
has its roots in the weak Malaysian public transport system. As a result,
traffic congestion, accidents, air pollution and need for parking space
among other evils, have escalated. In this study, policies aimed at discouraging
the use of private transportation were studied. In addition, this study
sought to identify factors that prevent personal transport users from
utilizing public transport so that rational policies could be formulated
to encourage greater utilization of public transport. A survey was carried
out on users of private and public (both bus and urban train transport)
(n = 1200). A binary logit model was developed for the three alternative
modes, Car, Bus and Train. This study found that age, gender, car ownership,
travel time, travel cost, household size and income are significant factors
in influencing the individual’s choice of transportation. The most
important variables found likely to encourage the use of public transport
were reduced travel time, reduce the distance from home to public transportation
stations and subsidized fares. In conclusion, for the commuter to switch
to public transport, proper incentives need to be provided for a successful
implementation.
Abdullah Nurdden, Riza Atiq O.K. Rahmat and Amiruddin Ismail, 2007. Effect of Transportation Policies on Modal Shift
from Private Car to Public Transport in Malaysia. Journal of Applied Sciences, 7: 1013-1018.
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