Rapid KL City Shuttle

Snag over Rapid KL bus facilities for the disabled
Tuesday April 24, 2007
By CHRISTINA LOW
Photos by UU BAN
TheStar


MORE than 30 individuals from various NGO's ga-thered at the Bangsar LRT station recently to try out the new facilities for the disabled provided by Rapid KL.

“We were so excited when we were told that facilities for the disabled would be available on public buses as it would definitely help us to get about,” said K. Se-garan, a member of the Indepen-dent Living and Training Centre.

The 20-year-old said with such facilities available, he did not have to rely on taxis or friends to move about.







Troublesome: The bus is parked close to the curb
to enable the disabled passengers to get on board.





However, the group was a little disappointed when some flaws in the facilities became apparent.

“Every time the bus stops, it has to be parked near the road curb to enable the driver to lift and connect the ramp to the curb. Only then can those using wheelchairs come down.

In other countries, the bus is designed to match the curb to make it easy for those using wheelchairs and mothers using prambulators for their babies to get in and out of the bus.

“This is a hassle as each time the driver has to get down and assist us.

“Furthermore, the bus not only caters to the disabled but also able passengers,” said Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (PETPOSITIVE) president Anthony Thanasayan.

Thanasayan said one solution would be using a hydraulic lift.

“Hydraulic lifts have been used in buses for many years in other countries. We should follow suit,'' he said.

Another shortcoming is the narrow passageway on the buses. Those using a bigger wheelchair would find it difficult to move in and out.

The group said they did not want to rely on others to move about and wanted facilities that would help them lead an independent life.

“We are thought to be independent but with such obstacles, it is difficult,'' said Thanasayan.

He said Rapid KL should get ideas and feedback from the disabled as different individuals had different needs.

Support Group Society for the Blind of Malaysia (Supporteam) secretary Captain Abdul Karim Stuart Russel said the bus company should also announce each stop for the benefit of the blind.

He said the names of the stops should also be announced.

Also, he said the empty space at the front part of the bus for wheelchairs should be fitted with folding chairs for the able-bodied to use.

“The empty space is wasted when no wheelchair users are on board,” said Abdul Karim.

When contacted, Rapid KL's senior manager of corporate communications division Katherine Chew said the company had met up with members from the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) to understand and discuss the facilities that the bus company should provide for its customers before finalising details.

“We even tested the service with them and they seemed happy with it,” said Chew.







A little help: Rapid KL bus driver Pahamib Sarahing
helping V. Munusamy alight from the bus.





“Our drivers will be trained to assist the disabled passengers, deaf and also the blind when they board the bus,” she said.

At present there are buses operating on the trunk and city routes for able bodied passengers as well as the disabled.

Chew said the disabled should begin using the services only after the launch in June as all bus drivers would have been properly trained by then.

New buses introduced to make it easier on commuters

Click to expand...

New fleet: Currently, 39 of the new buses
have been introduced with more expected soon.

RapidKL explains the bus delays
Saturday May 24, 2008
TheStar

RAPIDKL has issued a statement explaining the causes of bus delays in the Klang Valley.

According to the company, the major cause of bus delays is the worsening traffic condition arising from the rapid increase in the number vehicles entering Kuala Lum-pur.

RapidKL said road diversions and closures, haphazard parking by vehicle owners, adverse weather conditions as well as traffic accidents had also aggravated the problem.

The company said despite such problems, it had sought to improve its services.

“RapidKL has increased bus service coverage by as much as 53% and increased the number of buses by 30% since its inception four years ago,” the company read.

“RapidKL now covers 980 housing estates, compared with 638 when it started operations in 2005. The 53% increase in the coverage of the housing estates does not include the increased coverage to other commercial areas in Kuala Lumpur through the Bas Bandar service,” it said.

“Currently, the peak hour despatch is 650 buses, compared with 470 at the start, an increase of about 30%,” it said.

RapidKL urged other local autho-rities to emulate the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s initiative to extend and enforce bus lanes in the city to ease the movement of public transportation.

On the issue of the lack of discipline among bus drivers, RapidKL said it would undertake an intensive customer service education programme for its bus drivers to enhance their competency, inculcate customer friendly values and heighten their motivation.

“Although the drivers are given basic customer service training, there are still cases when the behaviour of some of the drivers is not acceptable,” the company said.

RapidKL said the impending training programme would seek to rectify the shortcoming in its customer services.

The company urges commuters who file complaints with it to include details pertaining problematic drivers such as the date, time, bus registration number and route number.

It said it could take positive and corrective action only if such information were provided by the commuters. The company said commuters could give their feedback through its corporate website www.rapidkl.com. my or call its helpline at 03-7625-6999 during office hours on weekdays.

Scomi Engineering confident of smoother ride
By Kamarul Yunus Published: 2008/06/13
BusinessTimes

SCOMI Engineering Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scomi Group Bhd, remains optimistic that its logistics and engineering businesses will steadily improve throughout 2008, in anticipation of a surge in demand for public transport, because of the current escalating fuel price.

Its president, Hilmi Zaini, said Scomi expects buyers from Malaysia and overseas to purchase more than 300 buses from the company this year.

Scomi Engineering's plant in Rawang can produce some 400 buses a year. Last year, it produced some 300 buses, of which 120 were exported to places like Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Macau and Cyprus.






"For 2008, we expect almost the same volume as last year, with confirmed orders for 100 buses from Hong Kong," Hilmi said, taking the media for tour around Scomi Engineering's logistics and engineering facilities for buses, special purpose vehicles and monorail in Rawang yesterday.

Scomi Coach Sdn Bhd and Scomi Rail Bhd operate the group's logistics and engineering businesses respectively.

The group is targeting new overseas markets for its coach, stage and double-decker buses, namely India, where there are plans to set up a manufacturing and assembly plant to produce monorail and buses in Mumbai.

"This will certainly complement our sales of buses in the Indian market," Hilmi said.

Through aggressive marketing, the group also expects revenue from its bus segment to show a positive result this year.

"Last year, the bus segment registered a revenue of RM21 million and we expect to achieve similar or slightly better results this year, due to greater demand for the use of public transportation," he said.

Apart from building new buses, Hilmi said the group is refurbishing 150 old RapidKL buses, which were left idle in two yards that do not belong to Scomi.

"We have completed refurbishing 50 of these buses and expect to complete the whole 150 buses in the next two months," he said.

Hilmi was commenting on reports that more than 1,000 RapidKL buses have been left idle in two yards.

He clarified that the buses for RapidKL are not supplied only by Scomi but also other companies, through tender basis.

"For the last three years, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd had purchased about 1,000 stage buses, of which we supplied 285 units.

"The rest were supplied by five or seven other companies," he said.

On its monorail business, Hilmi said the group is bidding for contracts in 20 cities worldwide.

"Over the next 12 months, we expect to see tenders coming up, namely in India and Africa. Currently, there are four or five tenders, which are at the final proposal stage," he said.

by hypnonebula

RapidKL Revises Bus Routes For Efficient Bus Network
August 11, 2008 20:30 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- For a more efficient bus network, Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd or RapidKL is revising four bus routes and eliminating three others, effective Aug 21.

The revised routes were designed to enable the company - tasked with providing an integrated transport system in the Klang Valley - to cover a larger area while the eliminated routes were covered by other bus services, RapidKL communications division general manager Ebi Azly Abdullah said.

"As such, the buses previously plying the eliminated routes can now be deployed for other routes and thereby, improve the frequency of these routes," he said in a statement Monday.

The revised routes are Route T312: From Wangsa Maju involves Jalan 1/27 A (LRT Wangsa Maju)-Jalan 2/27A-Jalan Usahawan 5-Jalan Usahawan-Jalan Genting Klang-Jalan Mata Ayer 2-Jalan Mata Ayer-Jalan Mata Ayer 1-Jalan Genting Klang and return Jalan Genting Klang (KFC)-Jalan Tumbuhan-Jalan Malinja (UTAR)-Jalan Malinja 1-Jalan Malinja 2-Jalan Tumbuhan-Jalan 1/27A (LRT Wangsa Maju);

Route T413: From Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang (R & R Bukit Dukung)-Jalan Cheras-Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang-Persiaran Impian-Jalan Impian Indah-Persiaran Impian Perdana-Persiaran Prima Saujana-Jalan Jenaris 1-Jalan Jenaris-Lebuhraya Cheras-Kajang-Jalan Cheras-Jalan Besar-Jalan Tukang;

Route T607: From LRT Kelana Jaya-Jalan SS7/26-Jalan SS7/17-Jalan SS7/17K-Jalan SS7/15-Jalan SS7/2-Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang-Jalan PJU 1A/46 (Sri Kelana Condo, RapidKL HQ )-Jalan PJU 1A/41 - Jalan PJU 1A/3-Jalan PJU 1A/1-Jalan PJU 1A/20a-Jalan PJU 1A/20-Jalan PJU1A/15-Jalan PJU 1A/3-Jalan PJU 1A/1-Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang- Jalan SS7/2-Jalan SS7/13- LDP-LRT Kelana Jaya and

Route T624: From LRT Kelana Jaya - Jalan SS7/26- Jalan SS7/19 - Jalan SS7/2-Jalan SS7/15 (Stadium) - Kompleks Sukan Kelana Jaya-Jalan SS7/13-LDP- LRT Kelana Jaya.

Ebi Azly said the eliminated routes were LRT Bukit Jalil to Putrajaya Sentral, Taman Medan to Jalan Klang Lama and USJ 8 to Subang Parade.

However, he said those affected by the eliminated routes could use alternative routes plying within their areas - Putrajaya Sentral to Jalan Sultan Mohamed, Putrajaya Sentral to KTM Serdang; Taman Medan to Pasar Seni via Petaling Jaya; Subang Mewah to Pasar Seni, USJ 8/Taipan to Pasar Seni and USJ8 to Sunway Pyramid/Subang Parade.

-- BERNAMA

Commuters want more bus lanes and better frequency :shifty:
Saturday August 23, 2008
TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: It is not just the rail transport system that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has to fix.

Some members of the public feel he should take a look at the current bus system, too.

“I am glad the Prime Minister saw it for himself but what he observed is the best we have to offer. He has not seen the worst yet,” said lecturer Moaz Yusuf Ahmad, referring to other modes of public transport such as public buses.

Moaz said the Government has to improve the bus system first as it is a service that could see immediate change.

“We can’t sit and plan for long term solutions. We must start with things we can fix immediately,” said Moaz.

Moaz who works for a private institute also said the Government should recruit more drivers and introduce more bus lanes to ensure buses reach their stops quickly and on time every time.

“Poor frequency is the worst of the problems faced by commuters. Enforcement officers should ensure that buses do not stop for long periods at stations but are always on the move.

“Increasing the number of buses or coaches is not the solution if the fleet is not properly managed,” said Moaz.

Another commuter, Peter Sinniah, said the Government should not try to make drastic improvements when minor ones can be done almost right away.

“We can’t change things overnight. It took us about 20 years to build the LRT, but we sure can make little improvements,” said Sinniah.

The 54-year-old felt bus terminals and bus stands should be made more user-friendly, without the public having to wait under the sun or rain without shelter.

He said bus operators should also listen to suggestions from their drivers who know the routes well.

“I have been taking public transport since my school days.

The situation has remained unchanged.

RapidKL introduces early bus service
Friday September 12, 2008
TheStar

THE Rangkaian Pengangkutan Intergrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) will introduce a new trial bus service called the Fajar Bus beginning Sept 15.

This service would be an early morning service starting before 6am and introduced for specific routes.

RapidKL general manager of communications Ebi Azly Abdullah said the service, which starts at 5.10am for some routes was to cater for those who wanted to commute early to avoid the rush hour traffic.

The service will be carried out on a trial basis to determine the demand and if the response is encouraging, the service will be made permanent.

For further information commuters can visit the website, www.rapidkl.com.my or contact the Helpline at 03-7625 6999 (Monday-Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm). Commuters can also send feedback through e-mail at [email protected]

Dates for RapidKL commuters
Saturday September 13, 2008
By YIP YOKE TENG
TheStar



A gesture of appreciation: Suffian handing out the
`Care Package’ to commuters at the KL Sentral bus hub.

RAPIDKL commuters had a pleasant surprise on Wednesday evening during peak hours when the public transport provider’s chief executive officer Suffian Baharuddin visited the stations personally to hand out the “Care Packages”.

Clad in RapidKL uniform, Suffian stationed himself alongside his employees at the KL Sentral bus hub and LRT station before Buka Puasa.

The “Care Package” contains dates and bottled water. A total of 10,992 packages will be distributed to commuters from now until Sep 18 at the main bus and LRT stations in Kuala Lumpur.

“In a very small way, we are showing our appreciation to our loyal customers during this holy month of Ramadan,” he said.

“We hope the spirit of Ramadan can be shared by all Malaysians regardless of race and religion and bring us closer together,” he added.

by shin_arkhangel

1,500 jobs at RapidKL
Saturday February 7, 2009

PUTRAJAYA: Some 1,500 jobs are available in the public transport industry.

Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) chief executive officer Suffian Baharuddin said among the immediate vacancies to be filled are for bus drivers (350), mechanics and technicians (255) and customer service assistants (170).

Others are security officers (270), traffic controllers (120) and engineers (53).

“The recruitment drive is in line with RapidKL’s efforts to improve the quality of LRT and bus services,” Suffian said in a statement here yesterday.

He said RapidKL needed more operational staff, especially bus drivers, engineers and mechanics, to provide better bus services as its current manpower was insufficient.

Suffian said RapidKL would also start running new four-carriage trains by the fourth quarter of the year and it needed additional engineers and technicians to maintain them.

The job vacancies will be advertised in local newspapers this weekend. For more information, visit www.rapidkl.com.my, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 03-7650 7788 (ext 1432 or 1433) or RapidKL’s helpline at 03-7625 6999.