JOHOR BARU: The high-speed rail (HSR) service between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will have little impact on express bus service but may pose a threat to the aviation sector.
Express bus operators yesterday expressed confidence that since express bus was considered the cheapest and fastest mode of transport for inter-state travel, there was no way HSR could compete with them in terms of pricing.
As for speed, they said air travel was still the fastest means of transport but after considering the time spent to get to the airport and the waiting time before departure, it would not make much difference whether to travel by air or HSR.
Lim Han Weng, managing director of Handal Indah Sdn Bhd, which operates the inter-state Causeway Link express bus service, said travelling by express bus in Malaysia offered the lowest fare in the region.
While the fare structure of HSR had yet to be announced, he said it would be nothing less than RM150 for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore express service.
Using the KLIA Ekspres as a benchmark, Lim said a 55-kilometre journey from Kuala Lumpur to KLIA cost RM35 one way.
"Knowing that HSR will be built at a cost of RM38.4 billion, and the distance of about 350km between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, just guess what could be the ticket price for the HSR express service between the two cities.
"At present, a KL-Johor Baru express bus ticket costs only RM34 and travel time takes about four hours. Unless speed is the only thing that matters to a traveller, express bus remains the most affordable mode of transport between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru/Singapore," he told the New Straits Times.
Firefly Sdn Bhd regional sales manager Khairul Anuar Daud said air travel was still favoured by businessmen and civil servants as time meant everything to them.
"However, if HSR can really offer a 90-minute ride between the two cities, some flight passengers may shift to using the HSR.
"For this segment of travellers, it is time that matters and not the ticket price," he said.
Firefly flies seven times daily between Subang and Johor Baru and offers the most frequent flight service between Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur as Subang is closer to the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
There are dozens of flight services between klia2/KLIA and Changi Airport, and the sector is the most competitive with airline operators offering discounts and perks from time to time to attract travellers.
As most HSR transit stations will be built on government land in rural areas to minimise cost of land acquisition, an industry source told the NST that this might hamper travellers from using the HSR transit service, unless connectivity at transit stations to the nearest towns or cities was good.
"If you travel by air, all airports have shuttle buses or taxi services. If you travel by express bus, it will stop near city centres.
"HSR is a bit different, especially if you are taking the transit train service.
"To travellers, connectivity really matters," said the source.
Source : http://www.nst.com.my/node/46959
