For some time in the early 2000s, its founder Chee Su-Lin had been thinking of publishing a Kuala Lumpur public transport map.

“At that time, I thought I’d seen a hole in the market,” says Chee. “New public transport infrastructure had been put into place – the LRTs and Monorail mainly – but a car driver like myself wouldn’t have had a clue on how to start using it.”

“The thought of a walking lifestyle within a compact urban landscape was beguiling. It was one that was free of cars, parking, etc, and that was fully immersed in society rather than isolated in bubbles. Also, I knew people, friends visiting, maids, who didn’t have cars. I thought this would provide them some independence in moving around.”

“Of course, there was also the environmental argument, and the pure challenge of bringing together disparate information to make of it a beautiful system.”

That was why bastrenKL was set up in 2005 as a project for social good (which partly explains the “.org” domain name, although “.org” was also cheaper ?), but which also had to be a business that paid for itself.

With the help of a great assistant, Lim Gwo Shin, several superb contributors, and the public transport operators themselves who were mainly very co-operative, 1000 copies of bastrenKL were thus published for the period 2007-2008. Vectordesigns was very grateful to Tourism Malaysia for sponsoring this publication. We also managed to get several advertisers who believed in the project.

During this time, public transport had improved even within the tenure of RapidKL. There was more of a cohesive system that encompassed the LRTs and buses.

There was still a long way to go however. Services were not sufficiently brought up to mark. There were times when disappointed commuters ended up waiting 45 minutes for a bus. RapidKL should endeavour for a maximum of 15 minutes’ wait throughout all routes, and timetables otherwise. 

Besides shorter frequencies, Chee felt that RapidKL had to be responsive to the commuters and treat them as customers, providing information and accountability, rather than throwing out piecemeal services which followed mysterious routes and times.

From mid 2008, however, Chee moved to London, for family reasons, and she could not find anyone to continue undertaking this project and publication.

As such, although far from the city that once inspired the bastrenKL, Vectordesigns still hopes for improved public transport services and a more mobile, accessible, integrated and healthier Kuala Lumpur.