Rainy Season Disrupts Commutes: How Off-Campus Students Without Cars at Taylor’s University Struggle to Arrive on Time

In the face of the rainy season in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, there have been many heavy downpours that have affected transportation to and from the university, especially those who reside outside of the campus area. There are many students at Taylor's University who reside off-campus and do not own personal transportation; instead, they depend on ride-hailing services and campus buses.

Traffic outside Taylor's University during heavy rain. Source from Zhang Yuchen.

Through interviews conducted among several students, it was found that most use ride-hailing services such as Grab while others prefer using public transportation including BRT and campus buses based on the weather condition. Nevertheless, the majority said that rain does affect commuting efficiency.

"Having to live near the apartments of Taylor has made my commute very easy," one of the ride-sharing drivers called Aaron Tan explained, who often picks up and drops off students from campus. However, for students who live off campus in other places, walking to class during rainy weather may be very hard.

"It rains heavily, almost nobody likes to walk. Students prefer to wait until the rain stops before they start walking, and that usually results in lateness," Aaron Tan continued.

The students highlighted that heavy rains often lead to severe traffic jams near the university campus, increasing the commuting time considerably. One student named Cheryl Lim recalled being caught in traffic jams for almost an hour one rainy day and arriving late despite leaving early. Another student named Michelle Wong also highlighted that she had trouble getting a Grab car for about half an hour owing to heavy rainfall, which made her late for her classes.

"On rainy days, my commuting time becomes much longer due to traffic jams," added another student named Nicole Lee.

Traffic near Taylor's University during peak commuting hours. Source from Zhang Yuchen.

Apart from traffic jams, the other point that some students raised was that the heavy rains would make some roads flooded, which would again increase travel time. On the other hand, taking the school bus would again involve considerable slowdowns due to traffic jams.

In terms of road conditions, ride-hailing drivers interviewed noted that road conditions become more complicated in the rain with low visibility and even flooding in certain areas. A ride-hailing driver likened driving in the rain to "rowing a boat," particularly in vulnerable areas like Sunway and the vicinity of campus.

With regards to pricing, students interviewed pointed out that fares in ride-hailing services go up during rainy days because of increased demand. However, some students opt for BRT and school buses but face similar congestion and delay in public transportation services during rainy days. According to a student called Nicole Lee, "Sometimes I need to queue several times before getting picked up." Higher demands for travel services on rainy days result in additional pressure on ride-hailing companies and public transportation services within campus premises. Students interviewed revealed that during heavy rains, Grab was difficult to book, wait time was increased, and fares went up significantly.

At the same time, students who use school buses and BRT suffer from inconvenience as well. As Michelle Wong, a student, noted, school buses are often late and overcrowded on rainy days, while BRT works at full capacity on peak hours, making the journey even more uncomfortable.

Rainy commuting was reported by students as not only leading to time delays but also being associated with lateness. All three students noted that they were late for school due to heavy traffic, lack of transportation, or public transportation problems. Leaving earlier does not always solve the problem.

From an economic point of view, students observed that the increase in prices due to peak hours during rainy seasons increases the cost of commuting. Besides that, an unstable environment creates lots of stress for the students too. According to one of the students, it is not only the longer duration of the trip, but the whole process becomes more tiring and stressful.

Students waiting for transport at Taylor's University. Source from Zhang Yuchen.

In addition, Aaron Tan explained that apart from longer trips, students even face issues like wet backpacks, water-filled shoes and problems with walking in the rain.

Overall, commuting during the rainy season is always associated with longer commutes and increased cost of transport. Regardless whether the transport is a ride hailing service, school bus or BRT, all are impacted by rain.