Early Days of Motor Buses in Penang
9 min read
It is often thought that the first motor buses, four Thornycrofts, were introduced in Penang in 1921 by the municipality. While Ric Francis and Colin Ganley cov...
November 2025
This November, Penang Monthly explores language, place and memory. As GTLF returns, we highlight Penang’s multilingual streets and the dialects that keep local history alive.
Cultivating A Future For Skateboarding In Penang
6 min read
HARD SLAMS REVERBERATE from the morning all through the night at Youth Park — echos of wheels meeting asphalt and ramps. While I nurse my spine and sense my mus...
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Jemilah Mahmood: Giving Priority to the Planet's Health
7 min read
Professor Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood is an eminent personality in the field of medical science and crisis management. She is also the founder of Mercy Malaysia...
Crisis in the School Bus Ecosystem
8 min read
WALKING ALONG Jalan Gottlieb on a balmy Wednesday evening, I could not help but be struck by the sheer amount of vehicles on the road. Traffic was at a crawl, w...
Penang's Ferries: Icons Anchored For Good
2 min read
THE PENANG FERRIES that started operating in 1894 were always an important mode of transportation for the locals. But they became more than just a ride. They we...
KUMPOOL: A Way to Wean Us Off Our Dependence on Private Transport
4 min read
Footnotes:[1] https://www.thesundaily.my/archive/rapid-penang-aims-improve-traffic-through-introduction-hub-and-spoke-model-MUarch526864
Getting Around in Penang: Managing the Transition to Better Public Transport
11 min read
A WELL-STRUCTURED bus system offers a wide range of benefits that go beyond mere transportation. It addresses the critical issue of affordability by providing a...
Two Station Masters and Their Memories of Penang Hill
4 min read
In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Penang Hill funicular railway, I interviewed two former station masters who have contributed their entire career towards managing the Penang Hill funicular railway.
Urban Mobility and The Sense of Common Purpose
4 min read
MODERN ECONOMICS and modern living are paradoxically based on sustained advances in means of mobility, on the one hand, and in the human ability to live in huge...
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Penang Hill Funicular Railway: 100 Years of Service
3 min read
THESE DAYS, ascending Penang Hill takes mere minutes. All one has to do is purchase a ticket and board the air-conditioned funicular trains serving the hill — a...
S.T.E.A.M Powered Learning: Nurturing Creative Analysts for the Digital Future
4 min read
THE ARTS STREAM or the Science Stream? That was the fork in the road for many entering Form 4 under the national school curriculum before the year 2020. Even no...
Penang Hill: A Natural Resource That Shaped The Settlement
9 min read
BESIDE THE HANDSOME George Town Dispensary building on Beach Street is a neat white shop house which today is occupied by an upscale artisanal retail store. On...
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