Auditing a Central Area Transit (Cat) bus service in a Malaysia’s world heritage site: A case study of Georgetown, Penang

Abstract

Moving around a conservation area can be a challenging task. Old townships were designed for minimal number of motorized vehicles. However, as time passes and rapid development takes place, a historical city such as Georgetown is facing challenges in the handling of traffic congestion. Conservation area is a protected area and road widening is not an option. Furthermore, climate change issue is becoming a global issue. The increasing number of motorized vehicles is not easing this issue. It contributes to traffic congestion and results in high temperature and high carbon emission. This is hurting the city’s environment. In an attempt to address both issues, Georgetown has taken an extra effort by providing a free bus service to be utilized by tourists and also by the locals. This study assessed a tourist’s transportation service that is offered in Georgetown through its free bus service. Participant observation and an audit list were the main method used to conduct this evaluation. Results showed that the free bus service was good not only for tourists but also for the locals. However, the service needed to be improved to enhance user’s experience in using it.

Keywords: accessibility, heritage site, tourist bus, tourist transportation, walkability, world cultural heritage city