how much... (III)

Transportation..

When we say "transportation", we usually mean cars and sometimes motorcycles as there is no other viable public transport to talk about.. The LRT and KTM networks can only serve limited areas, and there is no connecting service (by buses) to ferry people between these train stations and their final destinations (aka their offices) to make it a comprehensively convenient transport system..

Every Tan, Din and Samy has to own a car to get to work and to get around.. not everyone who is fit to drive has to do it as there is no alternative.. you have to drive to go anywhere, even just to get a loaf of bread or a packet of nasi lemak.. Thus it is no surprise that among the unavoidable essentials of living in a city like KL or Penang, car ownership is a must.. And car mortgage takes up a huge portion of one's disposable income..

Some prices of new cars:
Proton Saga (1.3L Auto) - MYR$ 40,548*
Perodua Myvi (1.3L Auto) - MYR$ 46,400*
Hyundai Getz (1.4L Auto) - MYR$ 59,618*
Toyota Vios (1.5J Auto) - MYR$ 75,294*
Honda City (1.4L Auto) - MYR$ 85,480*
Nissan Latio (1.6L Auto) - MYR$ 89,980*
* prices taken from official websites and are correct as of May 23.

If we assume the interest rate to be fixed at 3% per annum with payment period being 5 years and you paid MYR$ 2,000 as deposit, you would need to pay MYR$ 740 (for Proton Saga), MYR$ 850 (Myvi), MYR$ 1105 (Getz), MYR$ 1401 (Vios), MYR$ 1600 (City) and MYR$ 1686 (Latio) per month.. You can calculate your car loan payment here. 

And here is a hypothetical look at the cost of using a car in the city:
Traveling distance to office (assumption) 15 km -> 30 km a day
=> 600 km a month (20 working days per month)
Fuel efficiency for Proton Saga (urban driving) -> 7 km/liter
Petrol @ MYR1.90 per liter (the price of RON 95, for now)
Petrol cost => (600/7) x MYR$ 1.90 = MYR$ 160

So if you get a brand new Proton Saga, your monthly car-related expenses will be at least MYR$ 900, without taking into consideration of the annual motor insurance (at the very least a 3rd party cover) and other ad hoc fees incurred (parking, toll, maintenance and repair).. So don't be surprised if all these would add up to a third of your salary, or even more!! Don't forget, all those are just tangible cost.. what about the intangible cost like time wasted when stuck in traffic jams, mental stress and attention drainers, possibility of accidents and theft, etc..

Bright and clean train carriages in Brisbane

If there is good dependable public transports available, these cost could be cut down dramatically.. The highest fare on LRT is MYR$ 2.80 (one way), so you would have to pay MYR$ 5.60 a day. Then for a month, you would be paying MYR$ 112 to go to work.. Even if you have to take a bus (maximum fare is MYR$ 3) and then the train, you would be paying MYR$ 11.60 a day, and MYR$ 232 a month.. It is not even a third of the expenditure if you were to drive to work!!

You can read a book, listen to music, watch (online) news or other videos over your 3G/4G phone, take a short nap, enjoy the scenery along the way or just simply relax your mind if you taking a comfortable and reliable public transport. Maybe you like to drive, but there is no denying that driving zaps your energy.. Won't you want to reach your destination relaxed and without getting stressed out?

With less cars on the road, there will be less road accidents (less work for doctors so they can treat REAL illness and not self/other-inflicted injuries, people won't have to die unnecessarily and people don't have to pay for repairs), less road rage (less work for the police so they can go and catch REAL criminals), less traffic jams (less time and energy wasted so people can have more of those to do REAL productive work and a smoother journey for those who really need to drive) and less pollution. 

There are thousand and one beneficial reasons to have a good public transport system, but as long as the government remains as it is now, it won't happen. And that means we have no choice but to continue paying, not just with $$ but also with human lives, to own a car just so we can get around..

Food cost is up next..




Disclaimer: I am not an economist nor am I (formally) trained in finance.. The figures above are my own estimation which are based on data gleaned from my family/friends and the Internet. I am just stating my observation, experience and thoughts, as I had lived in 3 different Asian countries/cities in the past 20 years...