The Transport Ministry has no plans to scrap feeder bus services at MRT stations.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said political secretary to the finance minister Tony Pua's proposal to use ride-sharing service Grab for last-mile connectivity, is just the latter's proposal.

"We are not going to cancel any feeder bus services. That was just a proposal to complement (the service) from Tony.

"As far as I am concerned, that is at a proposal stage. On the ministry's side, we have no plans to scrap the feeder bus system right now.

"We want to integrate with other bus systems and we hope we can roll out monthly passes soon. Then all services will be part and parcel of the public transportation system in Klang Valley," Loke told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Last week, Pua had suggested that the Grab car e-hailing service be used instead of feeder buses to ferry MRT commuters.

“Why should you provide feeder buses if you can work with Grab?

“They can actually arrive and give door-to-door delivery from the MRT to commuters' homes at a reasonable price, and at a cost that will be cheaper than us (the government) supplying feeder buses,” he told a panel during the 'Malaysia: A new dawn' conference in Kuala Lumpur.

There had been backlash against the proposal, with many arguing that feeder buses provided a more affordable transport solution, especially for the lower-income and special needs groups.

Taxi drivers have also protested against the proposal, questioning why the government wanted to partner with Grab instead of cabbies.

Asked about this, Loke said his ministry is encouraging taxi drivers to also be part of the e-hailing network, while an app for airport taxis is also being developed by a taxi association.

The minister added that the top two problems with public transport in Malaysia were connectivity and punctuality.

He said the payment system for public transport must also be improved, and that the government was exploring proposals from the private sector to make payments seamless and cashless without incurring additional cost to the government.