View : The company that is responsible for the operations of public transportation systems should be transparent and take opinions of the public in order to improve the service. I think it is a bad management culture for not opening to feedbacks/complaints.
Monday August 25, 2008
By OH ING YEEN
FOR the past one month, Selangor DAP secretary and Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San has been trying to fix an appointment with the management of public transport operators RapidKL and Syarikat Prasarana Bhd.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Selangor DAP headquarters in Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya, Lau said RapidKL “just poured cold water” on his request, by telling him to go through the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).
Lau is wondering why they are not respecting his office as an elected state assemblyman.
“Despite the increasing number of commuters and passengers, the public transport operators especially Prasarana has failed miserably to meet the demands of the passengers.
Given the cold shoulder: Lau holding up newspaper reports of the Prime Minister’s rides on the KTM Komuter and LRT recently. “For the past one month, there are numerous reports of breakdowns on the two LRT systems, not to mention the many unexpected delays in bus services.
“I wonder what the MBPJ has to do with the breakdowns. Why does an elected representative has to turn to MBPJ to convey the message of the people to the management of RapidKL?” he asked.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and Petaling Jaya councillor Tiew Way Keng were also present at the press conference.
Yeoh had called for a press conference about the cancellation of a bus route in Subang Jaya but was disappointed that there had been no official reply from RapidKL.
According to Yeoh, RapidKL had announced on Aug 11 that they will be revising their routes on Aug 23.
“They gave people only about 10 days’ notice. We are questioning the short notice given and why a route (T522 from USJ 8 to Subang Parade) has been cancelled without consulting the people,” she said.
Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit Klang Valley (Transit) adviser Moaz Yusuf Ahmad, a Subang Jaya resident himself, could not agree more with Yeoh.
“It’s unfair for RapidKL to make these decisions, we hope RapidKL can be more considerate to the people.
“It is generally assumed that public transport users are people from the lower-income group who have no other choice.
“There’s not much you can do if the driver doesn’t follow the route. If you complain, he will yell at you or he’ll say ‘if you don’t like it, buy a car’.
“It does not give a positive image of public transportation,” said the lecturer, who has written numerous articles about the public transport system in Malaysia.
He said by sacrificing these routes, people would be forced to drive and this would lead to more traffic congestion.
He added that RapidKL was not solely to blame for the public transport problems as other public transport companies share the same responsibility to provide good service to the public.
Referring to the Prime Minister taking rides on the LRT recently, Moaz suggested that the PM took the bus, too.
“If he wants to see how bad it is, he has to take the bus and wait for it. Then he will runderstand what public transport is like,” he said.
Lau said the first step to solve these problems on public transport was to have a meeting.
He hoped that he would not have to resort to sending a memorandum directly to RapidKL if they kept avoiding communication.
“A city without an efficient and reliable public transport system will not be a livable city,” he said.
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