Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, where many of the respondents may have previously used a monorail system
By contrast, other variables like age, gender, ethnicity, income, education and personal perspectives on Malaysia's public transportation system are not significantly associated with people's willingness-to-pay for monorail services.
The study, by Y. K. Cheah of Universiti Utara Malaysia and L. Y. Lee of Universiti Sains Malaysia, surveyed a total of 498 respondents, of whom 424 (85%) said they were willing to pay an average of RM 2 for a monorail trip to travel to work, while 74 (15%) were not willing.
The study was prompted by Penang's heavy and growing traffic congestion problem. By 2030, it is estimated that travel demand will increase in the Malaysian state by 25 – 50%. In view of Penang's traffic woes, its government has proposed building a monorail system to alleviate congestion. The purpose of this research was to identify which factors affect an individual’s willingness-to-pay for monorail service as an alternative transportation option.
Based on their findings, the authors propose various measures to further increase willingness-to-pay for monorail services, including environmental awareness programs on the risks of excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and public information campaigns to promote the benefits of monorails.
Due to budget, time and geographical constraints, the survey data was limited to adults who work in the Bayan Lepas area of Penang. The authors therefore recommend surveying people who travel to or from work throughout Penang Island and the mainland in order to obtain a more representative sample. In addition, “students and pensioners should also be examined for their travel patterns and preferences.”
For more information about each research, please contact:
Y.K. Cheah
School of Economics
Finance and Banking
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +(604) 928 6927 ; Mobile: +(6016) 497 8792
About Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (JSSH)
Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (JSSH) is published by Universiti Putra Malaysia in English and is open to authors around the world regardless of nationality. It is published four times a year in March, June, September and December. Other Pertanika series include Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science (JTAS), and Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology (JST).
JSSH aims to develop as a pioneer journal for the social sciences with a focus on emerging issues pertaining to the social and behavioural sciences as well as the humanities. Areas relevant to the scope of the journal include Social Sciences—Accounting, anthropology, Archaeology and history, Architecture and habitat, Consumer and family economics, Economics, Education, Finance, Geography, Law, Management studies, Media and communication studies, Political sciences and public policy, Population studies, Psychology, Sociology, Technology management, Tourism; Humanities—Arts and culture, Dance, Historical and civilisation studies, Language and Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Religious studies, Sports.
The journal publishes original academic articles dealing with research on issues of worldwide relevance. The journals cater for scientists, professors, researchers, post-docs, scholars and students who wish to promote and communicate advances in the fields of Social Sciences & Humanities research.
Website: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/
For more information about the journal, contact:
The Chief Executive Editor (UPM Journals)
Head, Journal Division, UPM Press
Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (R&I)
IDEA Tower 2, UPM-MDTC Technology Centre
Universiti Putra Malaysia
43400 Serdang, Selangor
Malaysia.
Phone: +(603) 8947 1622 | +(6016) 217 4050
Email: [email protected]
