North
Saturday May 19, 2007

Cheaper bus fares with new service Charges will be based on destination
By NIK KHUSAIRI IBRAHIM

PENANG: It should be relatively cheaper to ride on RapidPenang buses that will be plying the streets and byways in the state from August.

State executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said RapidPenang would impose charges based on destination, not distance travelled.

“The existing bus operators impose charges based on every kilometre travelled.

“We hope that RapidPenang’s bus fares would not be more than the fare calculated based on the distance travelled,” he said after opening the artificial limb presentation ceremony at the Che Hoon Khor Moral Uplifting Society here yesterday.

Teng said RapidPenang would duly announce the quantum of the fare to be imposed.

“The fare will definitely be on point-to-point basis, not based on per kilometre calculation,” he added.

Dr Teng said RapidPenang would service all the rural areas in Balik Pulau, Batu Maung, Gertak Sanggul, Kampung Sungai Pinang and Pantai Aceh.

“Even if the headcount is very low, RapidPenang will still service the routes,” he said.

He said the RapidPenang bus depot would be temporarily based at the Sungai Nibong Pesta site.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop had said that the company had proposed a fare structure of RM1 for the first 7km, and that the fare for journey beyond 7km would be charged according to routes plied.

It has been reported that commuters could enjoy free rides for two days when RapidPenang commences operations on Aug 1.

RapidPenang, a subsidiary of Rangkaian Pengangkutan Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL), is owned by the Ministry of Finance.

At the moment, I am extremely busy preparing my presentation for a forum on Public Transport for Disadvantaged Groups in Penang. The topic of my presentation is Public Transport from the Perspective of a Wheelchair User. The forum will be held on May 19 at the Kompleks Masyarakat Penyayang. During the forum, a memorandum endorsed by 32 NGOs and several individuals will be presented to Penang State Traffic Management Committee Chairman Dato’ Dr. Teng Hock Nan. Christine, her personal assistant Suti, Professor Lenore Manderson, Wuan and I will be flying to Penang late this evening. Christine will be speaking as a panellist in her capacity as the Coordinator of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT). Lenore is the Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Australia and is currently here in Malaysia as the consultant for the BAKTI-MIND Project. She has been with us from the early days when BEAT was initiated. Details of the forum and application form are available in the flyer. Updates will resume next week, hopefully…

PDL - Malaysian Probationary Driving License
Lesen Memandu Percubaan Malaysia
Photo by Wuan.

This Malaysian Probationary Driving License is valid for two years. Barring an driving offense that may result in this license being revoked and cancelled, I will be issued with the CDL (Malaysian Competent Driving License - Lesen Memandu Kompeten) after the probationary period. Wuan and I collected the license from Safety Driving Centre. I then attended a press interview with other members of BEAT.

Wuan and I went off to 1-Utama for lunch, shopped a little after which I drove all the way back. Being on the wheel again after twenty three years evoked so many emotions. I never thought I could drive again. That was the reason I stopped renewing my driving license ten years ago. My desire to drive again was inspired by Kuan Aw and Christine.

Now that I have obtained my driving license, William sowed the seeds of a long road trip in my mind to celebrate this milestone with Cynthia and Wuan. Penang? Ipoh? Melaka? My driving now is inconsistent at best. However, I am confident that I will be able to pick up the finer points in a very short time. There are some things that one does not forget. Driving is one of them. This is another momentous step in the liberation of Peter Tan.

My PDL (Lesen Memandu Percubaan / Probationary Driving License) has been issued. I just cannot wait to collect it from the driving school and start driving. These ten months of acquiring a car, installing the hand control kit and taking the driving tests have been one interesting experience after another. This journey in liberation will be a stepping stone to other even more interesting journeys.

The instructors at Safety Driving Centre are one passionate lot. Their professionalism in polishing me from the rusty driver that I was to achieving what I consider one of the greater achievements is one chapter of my life that I can never forget. Thank you Sirs!

Special thanks also go to William and Cynthia for spending time car shopping with Wuan and I and took me to Putrajaya JPJ to submit the attachment application; Christine and friends for bringing in the hand control kit on a long windy trip from Singapore; and Wang for giving me pointers and assisted me in filling up the forms for the modifications approval application. Then there is ReallyBites who gave me many valuable advice. Thank you. I won the bet with one week to spare. Pay up!

As always, there is Wuan, without whom there would be no car. I am truly touched by her dedication in taking me to driving lessons and taking leave to accompany me to the numerous tests. This achievement is all yours darling. Thank you. And to all who have rooted for me, thank you to you too. You have been great cheerleaders minus the pompoms and miniskirts. See you guys on the road.

There is more good news to come. Dr. Kenji Kuno invited me together with Hee and Siew Chin, my Independent Living Programme counterparts, to discuss the details of the last of the tri-series of Independent Living and Peer Counselling Workshops in Malaysia at the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Malaysia this morning. This last workshop, like the previous two, is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Two resource persons from the Humancare Association in Tokyo, namely Ms. Hiroko Akiyama and Mdm. Aiko Tsutsumi, will be conducting this workshop in June. We will be seriously looking into establishing two Centre for Independent Living in Malaysia within eighteen months. I may also be working on another project that I will update once I have more concrete details.

Photo by Wuan.

During RapidKL’s accessible buses pre-launch briefing for the media, Chief Operating Office Mohd. Ali. Mohd. Nor announced that 100 accessible buses will be put into service in the Klang Valley on June 1. These buses will only serve the trunk lines and city shuttles but not the local shuttles that serve housing estates. This defeats the purpose of putting these buses in service as wheelchair users will be unable to get to the trunk line hubs from their homes. Mohd. Ali should realise that the last mile connectivity is as important as the trunk lines and city shuttles.

Another major area of concern is the mismatch of height between the bus stops and the buses. The difference can be as much as 9 inches, rendering the gradient of the ramp too steep even with assisted boarding for wheelchair users. This is prevalent in most of the bus stops that the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) and officers from RapidKL discovered during a preview of the buses.

Local authorities are responsible for infrastructure such as bus stops and walkways. They must work hand in hand with RapidKL to ensure that this problem is resolved soonest possible. Additionally, walkways must be made accessible as required by the Uniform Building By-Law 34A (UBBL 34A). This by-law had been gazetted by the various state governments in the mid-90s. Unfotunately, the requirement of this by-law is ignored most of the time, leading to the pathetic and dangerous state of the walkways that exist now.

Disabled persons cannot and should not be expected to advocate to so many different ministries on only a single issue like public transport. For example, we have met with Deputy Minister of Finance Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen and Minister of Transport Dato’ Seri Chan Kong Choy. RapidKL is owned by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad which is the holding company under the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. At the same time RapidKL is also under the purview of the Ministry of Transport. Additionally, due to the bus stops being inaccessible, we have to advocate to the various local authorities which is under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Menteri Besar. And that is only one thin slice of the issues that affects disabled persons.

Dato’ Seri Chan had the foresight to establish a high level public transport advisory committee chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General of the ministry to look into the grouses of disabled persons with regards to public transport. According the him, it was set up as a single platform for disabled persons to voice out their problems without the need to run around to meet the different transport operators individually. For this, Dato’ Seri Chan gets two thumbs up.

However, it is time the government see the bigger picture of the problems faced by disabled persons. It is neither feasible nor cost effective to address issues on a piecemeal basis. The most apparent example is the mismatch of height between RapidKL’s accessible buses and bus stops. Solving one problem creates a host of other problems. It is a never ending cycle. By the way things are being done now disabled persons will still be facing barriers come the next fifty years.

Several leaders in the disability movement in Malaysia have suggested that a division be set up within the highest level of the government, namely the Office of the Prime Minister, to oversee and manage all issues related to disabled persons. With that, we do not have to scamper from one ministry to another to have our voices heard and our issues resolved. As far as we can see, this is the most effective solution. Apa macam Pak Lah?