PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT ON RELIABILITY OF PUBLIC BUS SERVICE IN KOTA BHARU

Reliability of public bus service is a crucial factor in determining the effectiveness of the operation. Reliability can be measured in many ways; one of them is the Punctuality Index where bus performance is measured whether the actual departure of certain bus is according to the scheduled departure time. The use of public transport will help reduce traffic congestion, save money and time, as well as saving the environment as less pollution is emitted to the air. In Stockholm, Sweden, the citizens in 10 km radius tend to cycle to their office. Personal cars are kept in garage because the community enjoyed using bicycle or rather use public transportation. The issue here is that the three parties involved in public transportation are arguing about the state of service and performance of the public bus in Malaysia. The parties are the authority, the bus operator, and most importantly the users. This paper investigates the Punctuality Index of public bus service in Kota Bharu, Kelantan where the objective is to assess the state of reliability of the public bus service. In Kota Bharu, there are no commuters or train services that provide full coverage of transportation such as in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley. Therefore, the public bus demand is very crucial in this city. The research will be conducted using on board method where surveyor will ride on buses and record the required data. During the ride, the surveyor can observe passenger profile and reasons of delay as well. This paper only presents the preliminary of conceptual framework from the study, namely the routes, schedule, travel time, and observations of the public bus service in Kota Bharu. The actual results will be used to suggest plans of improvement so that the public can experience better service in Kota Bharu.