Metrobus

In the 19th century and early 20th century, most Kuala Lumpur citizens and tin miners used rickshaws, elephants, sampans, and bull- or horse-drawn carriages as basic public transportation (as in transport by means not owned by persons being transported).

Rail transit in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor began in 1886 when a railway line from Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Kuda (just outside Klang) was opened. The line remains operational to this day as the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Mini-Bus Service or Bas Mini was popular.

Kuala Lumpur's (and by extension, Malaysia's) first metro line, the STAR LRT (now known as LRT Ampang Line), opened in December 1996.

KTM Electric Train Service (ETS)

The main Inter-city rail service in Malaysia is provided by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), which operates the KTM ETS service. KTM ETS operates along the KTM West Coast Line, between Padang Besar in Perlis and JB Sentral in Johor. All KTM ETS services originate or run through KL Sentral and connect the city with all the states along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

At Padang Besar, the West Coast line connects with the Thai railway network operated by the State Railway of Thailand. At Gemas, the railway line is connected with the KTM East Coast Line. The West Coast line terminates at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore. The East Coast line, as well as the southern portion of the West Coast line (between Gemas and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint), is served by KTM Intercity, another inter-city rail service also operated by KTM, providing rail transport to the East Coast states and Johor, and crossing the international border into Singapore.

The railway lines are built on the metre gauge. The West Coast line between Padang Besar and JB Sentral is double-tracked and electrified, while the entire East Coast line as well as the short portion between JB Sentral and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint on the West Coast line is single-tracked and not electrified, allowing only diesel hauled trains to run on them.

Double tracking and electrification of the West Coast Line, which was carried out in portions, was finally completed in 2025 with the latest completion of works on the southern portion of the line between Gemas and Johor Bahru, allowing full deployment of KTM ETS services throughout the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Regulation

The public transport system is regulated by various authorities, including the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) of the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, the Ministry of Transport and local governments such as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the other city and municipal councils.

There is no single body that regulates the whole sector.

The Integration and Restructuring of the Public Transport System in the Klang Valley (Inspak) steering committee, established in July 2003, is tasked with encouraging greater use of public transportation to reduce traffic congestion and initiate the establishment of the Klang Valley Urban Transport Authority as the regulatory authority for public transportation in the Klang Valley. Little has been said about the establishment of this authority ever since.

Rapid KL was established in 2004 by the Ministry of Finance to provide an integrated public transport system in the Klang Valley incorporating rail and bus services as part of Inspak. It holds quasi-regulatory powers in the sense that unlike other bus operators, it has much greater freedom to set its routes. Furthermore, its fare structure differs from that set by the CVLB.

By 2007, passengers have access to Touch 'n Go ticketing system on Rapid KL systems, KL Monorail, and KTM Komuter.