Disabled want better access to public transport
25 Sep 2006

KUALA LUMPUR: Disabled people are tired of broken promises, tired of pleading their cause and fed up that their needs are still being ignored.

Twelve years ago, the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT) group staged a protest against the Star LRT but nothing has changed.

“In 1994, a group of disabled persons staged a protest against the Star LRT for banning wheelchair users. Now, 12 years later, it is still inaccessible!

“With the exception of Putra LRT, KTM Komuter, KL Monorail, and now the newly-launched RapidKL buses, our needs have been ignored,” BEAT representative V. Murugeswaran lamented at a gathering of about 40 disabled people at the Bangsar LRT station yesterday.

They were at the launch of RapidKL’s new bus network covering Klang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Damansara, Petaling Jaya and Puchong.

Murugeswaran said the disabled felt excluded from society. Most cannot work because of poor access to public transport and buildings.

“We need to go out and work and contribute to society, and not be dependent on charity,” he said.

They handed a memorandum with their wish list to Women, Family and Community Development Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Paduka Chew Mei Fun, who was on an outing with the Senior Citizens Association, Selangor and Federal Territory.

Murugeswaran pointed out that Kuala Lumpur would be hosting the 9th Fespic Games from Nov 15 till Dec 1, the biggest event for disabled athletes in Asia and Oceania.

“What kind of impression are we giving to the international disabled community if we have no proper facilities? There’s a RM10 billion allocation to upgrade the public transport system, but there’s nothing for the disabled,” he said.

A RapidKL spokesperson said the transport company had bought 100 disabled-friendly buses with ramps. These would be delivered next month.

Related entry:
Wheelchair-Unfriendly Rapid KL Buses

At the Bangsar LRT Station. Datin Paduka Chew (in blue) is standing next to Christine Lee.
Photo by Wuan.

Barrier-Free and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) consists of disabled persons who are concerned that no effort has been put into making public transport accessible in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur. With that in mind, BEAT Coordinator Christine Lee organised a group of disabled persons who are mostly wheelchair users to congregate at the Bangsar LRT Station in an attempt to board the Rapid KL buses there.

Holding up the memorandum to demand for accessible public transportation.
Photo by Wuan.

Unfortunately, none of the buses have facilities to accommodate wheelchair users. This fact was acknowledged by Katherine Chew, Senior Manager Corporate Communications Division of Rapid KL. She then informed those present that Rapid KL will put into service 100 accessible buses within one month to address that issue.

Katherine Chew, Senior Manager Corporate Communications Division of Rapid KL speaking to journalists.
Photo by Wuan.

BEAT also presented a memorandum to Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, who was present at the station. The contents of the memorandum included the call to the government to adopt and enforce accessibility standards for planning of all public facilities and public transport systems, and implement non-discriminatory policies and protect the rights and dignity of disabled persons.

No way to get into the new Rapid KL bus on my wheelchair.
Photo by Wuan.

At the same time, Katherine has invited NGOs of disabled persons to a dialogue with Rapid KL next week. This is to get feedback from the NGOs on how the bus network can best serve the needs of disabled persons. BEAT indicated that accessible public transportation will not only benefit disabled persons but the elderly, pregnant women and persons with temporary mobility impairments. In the meantime, we wait with bated breath for the 100 new accessible buses to ply the streets of Klang Valley.

Related entries:
Accessible Public Transport

Dad was a Buddhist. Although he did not compel me to embrace Buddhism, I grew up reading the teachings of Buddha. The simplicity of the Four Noble Truths impressed upon me deeply, even now as a Christian. Buddha taught that desire is the root of all our sufferings.

For a time, I wondered if I could lead an austere life, one that is devoid of all the trappings. I attempted but obviously failed. There were so many things that I wanted to do and so many things that I wanted to possess.

Lately, similar grandeur thoughts have resurfaced again. In the attempt to make myself more mobile, I calculated the expenses required. At best, the car, modifications and an ultra-lightweight wheelchair will cost a bomb.

That was where the misery began. It is simply too expensive to even think about. I wished I can lead a simpler life but the environment in Malaysia is such that severely disabled persons are usually incarcerated in their own homes, unable to get out for the lack of assistance, barrier-free environment and accessible public transportation.

To get out, it is pertinent to have one’s own transport. The majority of us cannot afford it. We have a real need but do not have the means to resolve it. Buddha’s teachings notwithstanding, this is one desire that burns strong inside many of us.

The Star - August 25, 2006: Letters To The Editor

Do be disabled-friendly

EVERY time the Government announces a revamp of the public transport system, the disabled community will wait in anticipation for one that truly serves its needs.

Time and again, we were disappointed. No provisions had been made to accommodate wheelchair users in public buses.

Therefore, it was not surprising that I was filled with cynicism after reading the report on yet another revamp of the public bus system in Penang, “KL bus system for Penang, state’s transport system a failure” (The Star, Aug 24).

Public buses must not only serve people who can climb up the steps to board them.

To all intents and purposes, thought must be put into making them accessible by people who have mobility problems.

These include wheelchair users, the elderly, pregnant women and children.

The elderly have problem boarding the newest RapidKL buses that were put on the road recently. Wheelchair users have no way of getting into these buses.

Over the years, the Penang public bus system has gone from bad to worse. Old and dilapidated buses are still being used.

Should the Government decide to phase out these vehicles, I hope it will consider replacing them with no-step buses.

The height of no-step buses can be lowered to make it convenient for those with mobility impairment to get onto them.

Apart from that, they come with ramps for wheelchairs. This is the kind of public transportation that will serve everyone, including the severely disabled.

We seldom see severely disabled persons out and about here in Malaysia. It takes a tremendous amount of manpower to assist them from wheelchair into vehicles and vice versa.

An accessible and affordable bus system would reduce that hassle and allow them to get out more often.

I hope the Penang government will not only adopt the Kuala Lumpur bus system wholesale but also take into consideration the needs of the disabled community.

PETER TAN,
Pro tem president,
Society for Independent Living, Penang.

Public Buses In Tokyo, Perth And Kuala Lumpur

Travelling broadens the mind. It is an opportunity to see how things can be done differently and better. When I was in Tokyo for training earlier this year, it was not the culture shock that got to me. Rather, the barrier-free environment in public places was so amazing that I had difficulty adjusting when I came back although I was there only for two weeks. I had no problem moving about in Tokyo. Most of the buses had facilities to accommodate wheelchairs. The drivers were very helpful in assisting wheelchair users too.

After reading the entry titled Please Take Along My Disability, Cynthia Foo of Just Blogging Around messaged me. She is currently studying in Perth and shared with me about the barrier-free environment there and how the Australians are generally considerate when it comes to assisting disabled persons. I asked if she could take some photos that I could use for this entry because I was going to write about accessible public transportation. The next day, she went out with Kian, her boyfriend, and caught some interesting shots and also a video (AVI Format, 8.28 MB - video removed to reduce bandwidth load. Please email me for a copy).

“I asked the bus driver,” Cynthia shared with me. “He is really friendly to show me everything. I told him I’m helping a friend doing a blog. He doesn’t know what it is anyway but once he heard it is for people with disabilities he straight away said, “Oh!! I show you everything when I finish smoking.” He allowed me to take pictures before allowing people to go in.”

After going through the photos that Cynthia sent to me, I wondered about the state of the public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, especially buses. Wuan uses the RapidKL network of buses and the Ampang & Sri Petaling Line (formerly Star-LRT) to work everyday. I told her I wanted to see the difference between Tokyo, Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

She took a load of photos for me. Of the few hundred RapidKL buses plying the road, none were accessible to wheelchairs. It is unfortunate that even the newly delivered buses do not come with features such as ramps and low floors. The Ampang & Sri Petaling Line is even worse. There are no elevators to the platforms. I wonder how the elderly and the pregnant can manage up the numerous flights of steps by themselves.

As it is, Malaysia cannot claim to be a fully inclusive society yet. The interests and needs of a sizeable group of citizens have not been fully addressed. To be fair, the government is currently looking into ways to resolve this problem. I attended an informal meeting with representatives from two governmental ministries and several disabled persons last week. They were very keen in making the public environment barrier-free. The effectiveness of this initiative is yet to be seen but for the sake of people who need it, I hope it is followed through to completion.

One of the reasons why Tokyo is so accessible is because of the ageing population there. Malaysia, too, is facing a growing trend of ageing population. A barrier-free environment will benefit the elderly in many ways. They have contributed much to the development of the nation. We must at least ensure that their most basic needs are provided for, among others the ability to move around conveniently.

In fact, the inclusion of barrier-free facilities does not deprive anyone of anything. Everybody can use it. It truly baffles me that this standard of universal accessibility is not being practiced widely in this country. What are we waiting for? And finally, how do the public buses in Kuala Lumpur score when it comes to accessibility? We failed wholly and entirely. None could accommodate a person on a wheelchair. As a world class city, Kuala Lumpur has a lot of catching up to do as compared to cities that have laid claim to less.