There is something very wrong in Rapid Penang’s announcement on accessible bus stops. Rapid Penang Chief Executive Officer was quoted by NST for saying “Even though only four per cent of the disabled use public transportation, we see this as a commitment which must be fulfilled immediately.”

I sincerely thank Azhar for taking the initiative to ensure that disabled people, especially wheelchair users, have access to public transportation. Nevertheless, I would like to know where he got the figure of four percent from? Is this the part of the current ridership statistics of Rapid Penang? Or is that the projected statistics after the bus stops become accessible?

If the statistics are current, Azhar should realise that Rapid Penang buses and all other public buses in Malaysia are not accessible to wheelchair users. If the statistics are projections, then it may be inaccurate as there is no way to tell how many disabled people will use public transportation when it becomes accessible.

Disabled people have equal right to public transportation. By becoming a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Malaysia has acknowledged this fact. Even if one percent of disabled people use public transportation, it should be made accessible. Statistics should not be used as a justification to provide or not to provide such facilities.

The bus stops should be built according to the principles of universal design which provides solutions that everyone can use and not limited only to disabled people. That makes better sense than building “ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.” The time has come for society to shed the mentality that the needs of disabled people are extraordinary and needs addition expenditure and effort to provide for.

Frankly speaking, if Rapid Penang, which is a subsidiary of RapidKL, had seriously listened to disabled people who had advised them on this in the beginning, they would not have to go reconstructing the bus stops to cater to wheelchair users. They should have just brought in kneeling buses which would have solved the problem and saved themselves the trouble. Kneeling buses are very people-friendly. Senior citizens, parents with prams and aunties dragging a trolley-full of groceries will be able to get into the buses without breaking a sweat.

But this is Malaysia. People make money from making mistakes. And the needs of disabled people are often seen as opportunities to make even more money. Welcome to my world.

NST Online » Local News
2008/04/25
Upgrade of bus stops mooted

GEORGE TOWN: RapidPenang has submitted a proposal to the state government to take over bus stops and bus stations in the state in a bid to upgrade and standardise the designs of the stops.
Its chief executive officer, Azhar Ahmad, said the takeover process was planned to be carried out in three phases over the next six years.

“In the first phase, we are expecting to take over some 60 bus stops to manage and maintain them using our own money.

“The first phase is expected to cost RM3 million and will take some two years to carry out,” he said after a ceremony to confirm RapidPenang bus captains and the launch of the monthly students’ passes here yesterday.

He presented 60 monthly student passes to three non-governmental organisations.
Azhar said the company also planned to equip the bigger bus stops with facilities for the disabled.

“These include ramps specially designed for the wheelchair-bound.

“Even though only four per cent of the disabled use public transportation, we see this as a commitment which must be fulfilled immediately.”

Azhar said the state government was expected to give the go-ahead in one or two months’ time.

RapidPenang is going to add another 50 buses to its current fleet by the end of the year. The million ringgit question is: Are these buses of the non-step type that wheelchair users can use? If not, where are the promised buses to cater to the needs of disabled people? There was no mention of whether disabled people can use these buses or if they are accessible. My guess is that they are not.

Many of my disabled friends in Penang are unable to go anywhere because there is no accessible public transport in the island. They have to give up schooling because they cannot go to school. Without an education, they are unable to find gainful employment. Many of them practically have no social life because they are stuck at home most of the time.

Disabled people are the most disadvantaged and marginalised in any society, Malaysia included. Many are living in poverty. Their plight are mostly ignored and forgotten. It is regrettable the previous government in Penang did little to change the situation, preferring to give all sorts of excuses to exclude the needs of disabled people from using public transport. I truly hope the new Chief Minister of Penang Lim Guan Eng will seriously resolve this matter for once and for all.

RapidPenang to get 50 more buses
By Melissa Darlyne Chow

14 March, 2008

GEORGE TOWN: RapidPenang will be adding 50 buses to its fleet by the end of the year. This is due to increasing demand from residents in south Kedah and north Perak.

Its chief executive officer, Azhar Ahmad, said new routes were being planned in places such as Kuala Muda, Penaga and Kepala Batas.

“People in Kulim and Padang Serai in Kedah have also requested for buses to ply the routes there.

“We now only have 150 buses, so we are planning to add more by the end of the year,” he said after an appreciation ceremony for its bus captains here yesterday.

Azhar said people now had more confidence in RapidPenang as the company practised transparency and accountability.

He said exemplary bus captains, such as Ibrahim Abdullah, who had stopped to help three snatch victims get police help in Bukit Minyak two months ago, were also one of the factors which boosted people’s confidence in RapidPenang.

On the state government’s plans to have other competitors ply the routes as a way to improve the public transportation system, Azhar said competitiveness was not a factor.

“It is more about providing on-time and efficient service. We welcome the competition, and we also look forward to working closely with the state government to improve the public transportation system.”

On November 26, 2007, I blogged the following:

Is the OKU Card issued by the Department of Social Welfare not good enough? Why is there a need to inconvenience applicants by asking them to get certification from government doctors or the Health Ministry as well? That is not all! Why in heaven’s name do they need a photo showing the impaired anatomy? This is ridiculous. This is disregarding the dignity of disabled people. What? The doctor’s report is not good enough also? The OKU Card is not valid? The people in RapidPenang think the officers in the Department of Social Welfare do not know what they are doing?

Do the people in RapidPenang know what physical disability is in the first place? Can they determine that from a photograph? I am disabled from my chest down. Do I need to pose in the nude to prove it should I intend to apply for the card? Furthermore, why burden disabled people by asking them to incur extra expenditure in getting their anatomy photographed?

If RapidPenang is sincere in giving out concession fare to disabled people, they should make the process as simple as possible. An OKU Card issued by the Department of Social Welfare should be sufficient. I believe RapidPenang’s intention is to alleviate the financial burden faced by disabled people. This noble effort is spoilt by overzealous people that are not in touch with disability issues or have never met disabled persons before. Shame on you RapidPenang for degrading the dignity of disabled people.

After much protest from the disabled community in Penang, Rapid Penang finally revoked the condition for a photograph showing the body part of physical disability. This was conveyed through a mailing list. Rapid Penang also informed members of the mailing list that they have issued a statement to the media regarding this issue but I could not find the news report online. Nevertheless, Rapid Penang still made it mandatory for disabled people who want discounted fares to apply for the concession card.

For two consecutive days since yesterday, The Star published two news reports that senior citizens and disabled people who are registered with the Department of Social Welfare need only to show the OKU card to enjoy half fare on RapidKL and Rapid Penang buses. This should have been the case in the beginning. Who were the smart alecks in the Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, RapidKL and Rapid Penang who imposed the previous conditions that only the concession card holders were eligible for discounted fares? After all that fuss, now all disabled people need to do is to flash the OKU card. What a waste of time and resources for everyone involved in the exercise.

But, do not be mistaken that disabled people can ride the RapidKL and Rapid Penang buses. Wheelchair users are still not allowed to board the RapidKL buses with the wheelchair logo that are running in the streets now. This is because the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) refused to give the go-ahead to RapidKL to endorse the buses due to safety concerns regarding the ramps and wheelchair docking systems. The buses were supposed to be officially launched by a minister on June 1, 2007. So now we have buses that were fitted with accessible features at great cost that wheelchair users cannot use. As far as I know BEAT has washed its hands off working with RapidKL on this issue and prefer to concentrate on AirAsia.

As for Rapid Penang, disabled people were informed that 40 of the 150 buses operated by the bus company had ramps for wheelchair users initially. Unfortunately, according to Rapid Penang, the bus stops were damaging the ramps and they had to be dismantled to avoid further damage to the buses. This is evidence of another slipshod work by the people involved. I believe no study was done to ascertain the condition of the bus stops and other infrastructure before the buses were fitted with the ramps. In addition to that, there is no communication between the bus operators, namely RapidKL and Rapid Penang with local authorities to come to an agreement on the standard design of bus stops and all connecting pathways to the bus stops to make them accessible and complement each other.

There was also talk that Rapid Penang will bring in another 100 buses with facilities for wheelchair users. If I am not mistaken, these buses were slated to be put on the road by the end of 2007. We are already into the second month of 2008 but no such buses are in sight. Disabled people have been disappointed again and again by one too many sweet assurances such as this. Despite all the hard work by disabled people and a small group of concerned supporters advocating for accessible buses in Penang, there is no hint that such buses will be made available in the near future.

Wheelchair users in Kuala Lumpur and Penang are still left out from the public transport system. There is no way to move around conveniently. To put it crudely, disabled people have been conned once again. Lets not talk about a masyarakat penyayang when there was never any sincerity in looking after the interests and welfare of disabled people in the first place. All my entries on RapidKL and Rapid Penang are ample proof of it. So what if I have the OKU card? So what if I can get 50% discount with it? There is no way I can ride on these buses. I would not mind being charged the full fare if the buses are wheelchair-friendly. But none are. Truly, disabled people have been taken for a ride over and over again. Apa macam Pak Lah?

Nation
Saturday February 9, 2008
MYT 8:13:36 PM

Show Social Welfare ID to get 50% off on Rapid buses

By K. SUTHAKAR

PENANG: Effective Monday, senior citizens and the disabled registered with the Social Welfare Department need only show the identification cards issued by the department when travelling on Rapid Penang and RapidKL buses to get a 50% discount.

To reduce red tape, the Government has done away with the requirement for them to apply for the Rapid Card, issued by the companies.

“We want to simplify things. It is sufficient for them to show the card issued by the department to obtain the 50% ticket concession,” said Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.

He was speaking to reporters at the St Nicholas’ Home here on Saturday.

Rapid Penang chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad, who was with him, said it takes about two weeks for the company to process each card application.

He said about 10,000 senior citizens and 400 disabled people travelled daily on Rapid Penang buses.

Nor Mohamed said the problems that prompted the one-day strike by Rapid Penang bus drivers last Monday had been resolved.

“It is a small problem. When there is a problem, we look at it positively and resolve the matter quickly,” he said.

Thousands of bus commuters rushing for work and last-minute Chinese New Year shopping were left stranded on Tuesday when the drivers brought transport to a standstill.

Nation
Sunday February 10, 2008

Hassle-free way to enjoy concessions

PENANG: From tomorrow, the disabled and senior citizens registered with the Social Welfare Depart-ment need only to show their identity card issued by the department to enjoy half fares on Rapid Penang and RapidKL buses.

To reduce red tape, the Govern-ment has done away with the requirement for them to apply for the Rapid Card issued by the companies.

“We want to simplify things. It is sufficient for them to show the card issued by the department to obtain a 50% ticket concession,” Second Fi-nance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop told reporters during his visit to the St Nicholas Home here yesterday.

UPDATE: After receiving protests and feedback from NGOs and disabled persons, RapidPenang has waived the requirement for medical certification and photograph of impaired anatomy for applicants of the concession card. Now, applicants only have to submit a photocopy of the card issued by the Department of Social Welfare.

When I read some of the emails that I received this morning, I got annoyed. RapidPenang is giving concession cards to senior citizens and disabled persons. This is a good move although not something that I would advocate for. Concession fare is a privilege, not a right. Nevertheless, many disabled people barely earn enough to support themselves and any measures like these are appreciated.

However, the people in RapidPenang are in dire need of education on disability. They impose ridiculous conditions on applicants. This is what RapidPenang corporate communications and creative department assistant manager Yap Lee Ying said as reported in The Star on November 24, 2007 in its Northern edition:

“Disabled applicants are to bring a copy each of their MyKad, Welfare Department card, government doctor or Health Ministry certificate, relevant association card, two passport-sized photos and a 3R photo showing the body part of their physical disability,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Is the OKU Card issued by the Department of Social Welfare not good enough? Why is there a need to inconvenience applicants by asking them to get certification from government doctors or the Health Ministry as well? That is not all! Why in heaven’s name do they need a photo showing the impaired anatomy? This is ridiculous. This is disregarding the dignity of disabled people. What? The doctor’s report is not good enough also? The OKU Card is not valid? The people in RapidPenang think the officers in the Department of Social Welfare do not know what they are doing?

Do the people in RapidPenang know what physical disability is in the first place? Can they determine that from a photograph? I am disabled from my chest down. Do I need to pose in the nude to prove it should I intend to apply for the card? Furthermore, why burden disabled people by asking them to incur extra expenditure in getting their anatomy photographed?

If RapidPenang is sincere in giving out concession fare to disabled people, they should make the process as simple as possible. An OKU Card issued by the Department of Social Welfare should be sufficient. I believe RapidPenang’s intention is to alleviate the financial burden faced by disabled people. This noble effort is spoilt by overzealous people that are not in touch with disability issues or have never met disabled persons before. Shame on you RapidPenang for degrading the dignity of disabled people.

M E T R O

North
Saturday November 24, 2007

Rapid Penang concession card registration begins Monday

PENANG: Rapid Penang will distribute registration forms for special concession cards for senior citizens (aged 60 years and above) and the disabled from Monday.

Its corporate communications and creative department assistant manager Yap Lee Ying said the forms would be available at its headquarters at Lorong Kulit here from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and at its information counter in Weld Quay from 6am to 11pm daily.

“The senior citizens are required to bring two passport-sized photos and a copy of their MyKad.

“Disabled applicants are to bring a copy each of their MyKad, Welfare Department card, government doctor or Health Ministry certificate, relevant association card, two passport-sized photos and a 3R photo showing the body part of their physical disability,” she said in a statement yesterday.

A processing fee of RM2 will be charged for applications before Feb 29 while the charge is RM5 thereafter.

For details, call 04-2381313.