LETTER | Since the MRT 2 is going to be fully operational in mid-March, Transport Minister Anthony Loke needs to consider using vans instead of taxis and e-hailing services as the optimum feeder service vehicle for the MRT.

The feeder buses are mostly running empty or half full except during peak hours. This is because buses move slowly on narrow roads in housing estates and commercial areas. Many of these roads are congested making it difficult for the bus drivers to reach the stations on time.

As a result, a lot of MRT commuters are forced to use costly taxis or e-hailing services to get to the stations on time. Vans will be ideal for providing a better and cheaper service to the stations.

A van can carry around six to 12 persons depending on its seating capacity. Unlike buses, vans can also travel faster, and farther into housing, commercial and industrial estates.

The MRT ridership will increase exponentially when more people realise the two-way convenience provided by the vans from their residences to the MRT station and from the stations to their destinations.

This will be an effective link to the first and last mile problems that have been plaguing the MRT, LRT, commuter train and other public transport services. The van has been the elephant in the room ignored all this while. No taxi or e-hailing service can be cheaper and more efficient than vans as a to-and-fro vehicle to increase MRT ridership.

Since vans carry more passengers than taxis and e-hailing cars, the fares can be cheaper.

MRT Corp can sanction a few hundred vans to ply the MRT 1 and 2 routes. In some countries, vans are being used as a feeder service to bus and train services due to the convenience and most importantly the low-cost fares.

Taxis and e-hailing simply cannot compete with vans due to their myriad advantages. A few hundred van drivers can earn a good living from the service.

The vans need to be new and properly furnished, the drivers must wear a uniform and have a clean driving record and should follow all the conditions laid down by the MRT Corp and the Transport Ministry.

The vans need to have a uniform colour scheme and should be emblazoned with the MRT logo for easy identification.

With so many benefits and advantages it is time to induct vans to help increase the ridership for the MRT.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.