Although there are plenty of lucrative and effective ways to make money from home, most of us have jobs in places away from our houses that we need to commute to. And there are largely two ways to go about doing that: via public transport, or private transport.

This time on RinggitPlus we put trains, buses, taxis, and planes againsts cars, motorcycles, and bicycles to see which of these modes of transportation is truly the best way to get around!

Public Transportation

They’re everywhere, and paid for by our taxes. Which means it’s a bit of waste if we don’t use them at all, right? But is it really better than private transportation?

Advantages

By and large, it’s way cheaper to use public transportation to get around than it is to buy your own vehicle. You don’t have to pay for petrol, parking, maintenance, cleaning, or any of that stuff. Just pay your fare, and you’ll get there.

Using public transport is much less taxing on the environment compared to private vehicles. Since a lot of people can ride the same vehicle, the carbon emissions per head are largely reduced. Electrically powered transportation like the LRTs and KTMs are also friendlier to the environment than gas-guzzlers.

Another benefit to riding on public transport is that you don’t have to think too much. Pay your fare, get on, and get there. Navigation is taken care of, you can read a book, watch Netflix, catch Pokémon, or even take a nap.

Disadvantages

Yes, you can go places with public transportation, but only places public transport allows you to go. Bus routes don’t go everywhere and the same goes for LRT lines and some taxis. For the most part, you still need to walk a little bit to get where you really need to be.

Public transport is also time-sensitive. You have to catch them when they’re available. And many services in Malaysia slow down or close completely when it’s late enough in the night. Which means while you can go most places, you can’t go there whenever you want.

Not having to control anything about the travel also means you’re not in control if anything bad happens. While public transportation accidents are rare, when they happen, you’re stuck with no other option to get where you need to be.

Private Transportation

Cars, motorcycles, bicycles, vans, if it’s legal for you to drive around in yourself, then it’s your own private vehicle. But is using them better than public transportation?

Advantages

Having a private vehicle means you save time waiting for the next bus or train to come to the station. Go out anytime at night or as early in the day as you want. Plus, you don’t need to wait for other people to get off at their stops. It’s just you, your vehicle, and the destination.

Not only do you not have to wait for anybody, you can also go anywhere you need to. With no restrictions. Park right inside buildings, right outside your boyfriend’s house, and anywhere else you like.

Having your own vehicle also means you get to do whatever you want with it. If you put stickers on your seat in a bus, that’s vandalism. But if you put stickers on your own car seat that’s just creative expression. Also, you can eat durian in your car. Can’t do that in any public transport in Malaysia, sadly.

Disadvantages

As great as having your own vehicle is, it does cost quite a bit of money. You can compare the best car loans available in Malaysia from our site but as affordable as they are, you still need to fork out way more than it would cost to ride the LRT.

Driving your own vehicle is also not that environmentally friendly. Unless you carpool 100% of the time, you’re burning fossil fuels at a higher rate per head than if you used public transporation. Assuming you’re not driving an electrive vehicle of course, but that’s a different article.

Having full control over your transportation also means you need to be in control of your transportation. You have to navigate, find parking, pay for parking, sit through traffic jams with your feet on the pedals, deal with other drivers, roadblocks, and all the annoying stuff that comes with it.

So there you have it, the tale of the tape. From the lowdown it looks like public transportation may be the way to go if you’re in a densely populated urban area with plenty of stops and services, but private transportation is better if you can afford the hassle and costs.

Which one is really, truly, completely better than the other? We won’t decide for you. But you can leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section down below!

 

• TAGS:
• Public Transport