Transportation in Malaysia

TRANSPORTATION

There are many forms of transportation in Malaysia, and being an archetypal nation of today’s standards, Malaysia can be considered quite well endowed with a great variety of means of transport. Not only can citizens own their own transport, the wide multiplicity of public transport makes traveling uncomplicated and rather comfortable and luxurious.

A car may be considered a necessity to many Malaysian families, and some middle to high income families have even up to six cars. It is also more common to spy Malaysian-made cars, especially ones by the brand of Proton, as they are cheap and come in a large array of models, colors and prices. The price difference between a locally manufactured car, and an imported car amounts to approximately RM$40,000 to 45,000; despite the fact both types of cars have the same C.C. and general functions. This may be due to the verity that the Malaysian government has interests in disseminating the local brands, and thus imposes a heavy tax on imported cars. Cars that are more luxurious are obviously placed with a higher tax, up to 150% even. Taxation decisions are fully under the influence of the government, whereas the individual trader decides upon the final selling price of the car.

A journey from Kuala Lumpur to the lion city of Singapore takes only a three to fours hours drive, thanks to the efficient highways of Malaysia. With these highways, traffic congestions can be avoided, but the major disadvantages are the tolls. The companies that build these highways are privatized, in order to provide a better service to the public. The government only steps in to ensure that these companies don’t overcharge with the toll rates. Similarly, bus and taxi companies are privatized, as they are competent and capable of operating independently. The government only has to monitor the numbers of workforce employed, with the intention to curb the number of taxis and buses on the road. Privatized companies need not have any government involvement, except for cases of limitation control, for the sake of the general public.

Existing are also companies, which are semi-government control, such as train and plane companies. In the case of trains, the government lacks expertise, and thus has a sub company that reports back to them. This company organizes the monorail operation, and is offered tax exemption, for their assistance. In the case of air travel, the recent case of Malaysian Airlines being taken private again, under a newly incorporated company, reflects the degree of government association. Due to their debts of about RM$9.2bil, this move was made in order to ensure a rearrangement of the company structure and to restore arrears. ...