Written by Stephen
All my life, I have been an avid user of the public transport here in Malaysia. Throughout the four years of my university life, I have relied on commuting via KTM from my humble abode at Kajang. Even now, I rely on the MRT and LRT respectively to get to work here at GoCar Malaysia. Thankfully, Kajang KTM and MRT station is only a 10-minute walk away from my house. 🚶
Personally, I do not have a car for my own disposal. As and when I really need to drive, I would borrow my brother’s car. If not, it is either the public transport or ride hailing service for me. Not forgetting, with GoCar being in the picture now, I suppose there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 😉
That being said, there is this lingering question that begs for an answer whenever it comes to my choice of mobility: when do I choose which particular mode of transportation (GoCar, public transport, ride hailing) for my travels? 🤔
Well, the answer to that is relatively simple for me. Basically, I choose whichever travel option that is cost-efficient and time-saving.
In fact, let me break it down for you in three unique scenarios that I personally encountered recently.
Scenario 1 (Ride Hailing vs Public Transport)
As mentioned earlier, I commute to work on a daily basis via public transport. Work starts at 9.30 am, and I normally leave home for the train station latest by 8 am.
But last Friday morning, I needed to bring a couple of equipments to the office. Thus, I opted to hail a ride from my house to office. I knew it would cost me quite a sum, but I didn’t really have any other alternative for a one-way trip. Plus, as predicted, the journey took way longer than expected due to the rush-hour traffic jam – from 1.5 hour to 2 hours. 
After work, however, I continued with my usual mode of transportation back home. A 10-minute walk from the office to Asia Jaya LRT station, followed by a 15-minute train ride to Pasar Seni, where I then take a 40-minute MRT ride to back Kajang, and later another 10-minute walk back home.
At the end of the day, I realised that I am actually saving a lot of time and money by my travelling via public transport to and fro. Hailing a ride would be a last resort for me, only when there’s truly a need for it – such as last week’s circumstance.
That being said, here’s a basic infographic of my travel costs for that particular day:
Scene 1 : Home ➡️ Office via Ride Hailing Service
Scene 2 : Office ➡️ Home via Public Transport
Scenario 2 (Ride Hailing vs GoCar)
Now, this scenario took place a fortnight ago, when I needed to travel to a couple of places around Putrajaya and Cyberjaya on a Saturday morning to perform a photoshoot site recce.
At first, I wanted to #TakeGoCar from Shell Jalan Reko, the nearest GoCar spot from my home; however, the car was already reserved for the day. Therefore, I was left without a choice but to depend on ride hailing for the day.
Basically, throughout the course of three hours, from 9 am till noon, I hailed a total of four rides, which totaled up to a hefty cost. 💸 Moving on, I later did the math and realised that taking GoCar for three hours would actually save me quite a fair sum, instead of hailing multiple rides back and forth places.
To illustrate my point, here’s a list of my expedition that day along with a simple infographic of my travel costs for that particular day using a ride hailing service in comparison to taking GoCar:
1st ride = Home ➡️ Botanical Garden, Putrajaya (Destination A)
2nd ride = Botanical Garden, Putrajaya ➡️ Pullman Lakeside, Putrajaya (Destination B)
3rd ride = Pullman Lakeside, Putrajaya ➡️ Cyberjaya Lakeview, Cyberjaya (Destination C)
4th ride = Cyberjaya Lakeview, Cyberjaya ➡️ Home
Scenario 3 (Public Transport & GoCar)
After months of virtual planning in the WhatsApp group, my high school friends and I finally came to a fruitful resolution. We have decided to go for a mini road trip on a weekend just three weeks ago – all for the sake of a long overdue getaway among the four of us.
Our first voyage together dated back to December of 2016, where we escaped our university reality and journeyed up to the cold winds of Genting Highlands. It was pretty much an impromptu trip, yet it came with a lifetime worth of cherished memories. Maybe it was the chilling excitement being close to 2,000 metres above sea level, or perhaps it was the self-proclaimed adulthood pride that we finally get to enter the casino. 😎
Hence, we made a solemn pact there and then, that we will do this on an annual basis. Come what may, the four of us will free our schedule every December – for at least two days, one night – to embark on a conquest for the ages, sparking new fond memories as we set out to Genting Highlands and back.
But sadly, our tradition did not go as planned last December. 😦 We were all caught in the webs of internship, work, and final year projects. Thus, there was quite a delay until three weeks ago, where we finally found a weekend that fit our schedules.
So, our overall journey involved taking both public transport and GoCar. The four of us started off by taking the MRT from Kajang to Pasar Seni. When we got there, we proceeded to the Pos Malaysia Headquarters building which is a short walking distance away from the station.
If you’re wondering why Pos Malaysia HQ, well, firstly is because I needed to send out a postage; and secondly is because there are GoCars available at that spot. Ergo, why not kill two birds with one stone? Thus, after I settled my postage, we made our way to the GoCar parking spot below the main lobby. I reserved a Nissan Almera for one day beforehand.
Next, we took some time to contemplate on what to have for lunch, and finally came to a decision to head over to Village Park Restaurant at Damansara Uptown for their renowned nasi lemak dish. 😋 Afterwards, with a full stomach, we decided to walk around a little bit at IKEA Damansara to cool down our tummies.
Subsequently, we hit the road and after an hour and a half, we reached Genting Highlands. We stayed over for the night, after redeeming our free one-night accommodation – courtesy of our Genting membership rewards. The next morning, we made our way back to Pos Malaysia HQ to return the GoCar, and later went back home via MRT.
Looking back at the events on that day, I daresay it was completely worthwhile. Not to mention, the entire journey did not cost us that much – after we split evenly between the four of us, the costs for the GoCar, parking, tolls, and petrol.
In fact, here’s a simplified infographic to show our travel costs for the whole mini road trip:
Route : Home ➡️ Pasar Seni (Pos Malaysia HQ) via Public Transport ➡️ #TakeGoCar ➡️ Damansara Uptown ➡️ IKEA Damansara ➡️ Genting Highlands ➡️ Pasar Seni (Pos Malaysia HQ) ➡️ Home via Public Transport
Ultimately, I firmly believe we are all about saving time and money – no matter where we are, who we are, or what we do – when it comes to our everyday mobility. In addition, there is also the matter of convenience and comfort.
Hence, I hope this write-up helps to bring a better insight and an upright analytical understanding to the underlying question of, “When do we choose which particular mode of transportation (public transport, ride hailing, GoCar) for our own travels?”
Without a shadow of doubt, each mode of transportation comes with its own pros and cons. Yet, it is entirely up to us to reflect a little beforehand, to better grasp which specific mode of transportation would accommodate to our given situation and further benefit us the best.
Yours truly,
Stephen 🤙
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