Cass’s Public Transport Adventure and a Mother’s Reflection

Today was a school holiday for Cass’s high school, given that Parents’ Day fell on a Sunday yesterday. Since she didn’t get to skate at all last week due to the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine breaking down at her usual rink, Cass finally got her wish — to skate at the Olympic-sized Icescape Ice Rink at IOI City Mall, Putrajaya.

She planned the entire journey herself, taking a Grab to KL Sentral, followed by the KLIA Express train to Putrajaya, and then hopping on a bus to IOI City Mall. I’m proud of how much she’s improved at navigating public transport, something not many teenagers are used to doing these days, especially in a sprawling place like the Klang Valley.  According to Cass, most of her classmates have taken public transport to school since they were in Form 1. 

I couldn’t help but reflect on how much public transportation has evolved since my own younger days. Back in the 1990s in the Klang Valley, we had mini buses and Len Seng buses with no air-conditioning. I still remember wearing long-sleeved tops to work during heatwave season, and by the time I reached the office, I’d be drenched in sweat and needed to freshen up with a bidet shower in a squat toilet — thankfully clean ones!

If you had gone through those hellish rides on sardine-packed mini buses back in the 1990s, you would know how torturous it was to hop onto one during peak hours. You could forget about getting a seat and even when standing, you didn't need to hold on to anything. The buses were so packed that you wouldn't be thrown off the ground even during emergency brakes. Have you experienced hopping onto a jam-packed bus and standing just on the step of the bus door? I had gone through all these and survived! 😅😆

Things became a little more bearable after I bought my first car in 1997 — a red Kancil. My daily routine back then was a feat of endurance: driving to the Seputeh Komuter station in the dark before it turned 7 am, taking the train to Bank Negara, crossing the long overhead bridge (which was an exhausting long walk due to the slope), hopping onto an LRT opposite Sogo Mall, alighting at the Masjid Jamek station, and finally walking 15 minutes to my workplace at Southern Bank on Jalan Hang Lekiu. I was in my 20s — full of energy and hustle.

So seeing Cass navigating her way around the city with so much courage fills me with pride. While things have changed so much, one thing remains: the value of earning independence, understanding the city's landscape, and managing money wisely.

I believe it’s important for my daughters to experience public transport before they learn to drive or own a car. They’ll appreciate the freedom of having a vehicle so much more and be more aware of the costs and trade-offs between driving, public transport, and e-hailing services.

Public transport today is a far cry from what it used to be. Air-conditioned buses, LRTs, MRTs, and shuttle services have made getting around more comfortable, accessible, and safer — a great step forward for urban mobility in Malaysia.

And for Cass, today wasn’t just about skating — it was also a day of growing up, gaining confidence, and slowly learning to stand on her own two feet, both on the ice and in life. She’ll be 18 in less than a year, and I can’t believe how fast time has flown past us.

Cass prepped this tuna pasta salad with kimchi, cherry tomatoes, and butterhead lettuce, and brought it along with her to the skating rink this morning.