Since the increase in petrol prices nearly two months ago, the increase in passenger numbers has been noted.

RapidKL buses recorded an increase in passengers of more than 7 percent for buses and nearly 4 percent for the LRT. Passengers on the KTM Komuter and other buses have probably increased at a similar rate.

On the other hand, there has been no increase in the number of buses on the road or the frequency and the reliability of service. And, it is likely that we will not see this increase any time soon.

I expect that as we go into August, the demand for public transport will decrease as passengers decide that the inconvenience is not worth the cost saving.

I don't like to say "I told you so," but, really, this was not unexpected.

Recent events have also shown that despite the increased number of passengers, public bus services have actually become worse.

The reliability and frequency of RapidKL bus services has gone so low that it makes more sense to take the Metrobus, which has a better frequency (although the waiting time is longer).

What went wrong with RapidKL?

Well, it seems that, as predicted in April 2007, the ‘revamping’ of the bus system would lead to a decline in service as RapidKL would focus on mainline routes and buses would get caught in traffic jams in KL.

I don't like to say "I told you so," but again, this was not unexpected.

What disappoints me the most is that our window of opportunity to improve public transport in the Klang Valley is slowly closing while the government and bus operators come up with astonishing excuses for their lack of attention to these issues.

One example would be the recent comments by RapidKL Communications Director Ebi Azly Abdullah that linked the decline in the RapidKL bus service to the unpredictability of traffic conditions in the Klang Valley.

The same reason was used to justify RapidKL's inability to properly schedule their bus routes.

Is it really that tough for RapidKL to schedule bus routes after four years of operating buses in the Klang Valley? The traffic reports I hear on the radio are always the same.

We also have the Intelligent Traffic Information System (ITIS) in the Klang Valley. Mathematicians have even come up with equations that can predict the likelihood and duration of traffic jams.

Is the complete lack of bus schedules because of traffic conditions or other factors? RapidKL will never tell us. But it is known (ask any driver) that RapidKL has a shortage of bus drivers despite the RM2000 in accumulated salary.

It is also known that many of the new RapidKL buses are experiencing maintenance issues and a large percentage of the current fleet is sitting in bus depots for lack of parts and experienced technicians.

As I have always said, if we expect less of RapidKL and the other bus companies, they will happily offer less to us so that they can profit more. But their profits are coming at the expense of the public transport users, who are consumers like any other.

That is why we must expect more and push the government, Mps, state assemblypersons, business leaders and NGOs so that we can see a renaissance in public transportation in Malaysia.