The recent announcement that Budget 2027 will provide funding for public transport is a good step forward. Hopefully, more funding will go beyond the Klang Valley, with Johor Bahru and other state capitals receiving their allocations by June next year.

Between now and June, there is still time to undertake a proper demand assessment, a fundamental component of transport planning. Without a proper understanding of travel patterns, passenger volumes, origins and destinations, even expensive infrastructure projects can fail to deliver their intended benefits.

Unfortunately, transport planning in Malaysia has so far been biased towards road transport, driven mainly by federal government decisions and funding, and often mired in political considerations rather than based on a comprehensive assessment of actual needs and demand.