The Sustainability of Transport Mode Choice among B40 Groups in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Penang Island, Malaysia

Geography Section, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: narimah@usm.my

Abstract

The proliferation of privately owned vehicles contributes to various urban mobility issues, including traffic congestion. This study was conducted in Penang Island, Malaysia with the aim of examining the dominant transport mode choice among B40 groups, articulating the urban mobility issues they encountered and capturing their expectations regarding transport, particularly for commuting to their workplaces. In order to achieve that objective, this study employed a mixed-method technique. For the quantitative component, a total of 306 respondents from households classified as B40 were selected from Penang's eKasih Programme in the 2016 list, using a stratified random sampling upon ratio. Meanwhile, the qualitative component was conducted with a subset of 10 automobile-dependent respondents selected from 306 respondents who commute a distance exceeding 15 kilometres to their workplaces. The findings of the study reveal that specifically 29.08% of the northeast district and 42.81% of the southwest district on Penang Island, are motorcycle-dependent. It is imperative to enhance transportation policy by implementing strategies that focus on enhancing the appeal of public transportation through refurbishment efforts and diversification of transport modes. This approach aims to ensure the provision of affordable, sufficient, and efficient public transport options that can effectively cater to varying levels of demand.