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NEW accessible Rapd buses: `sneak preview' of some done deal?

26 June 2009 - 3:26pm

There are some issues that disabled and public transport groups will like to take up with Rapid company-but will they be too late? Of top concern is whether the promised 200 accessible buses to be delivered by end of 2009 has already been a `cooked' deal such that they will not consider improvement? If it is it is a strange way to involve the users in the bus' design-as if the `consultation' is merely a PR! If you think the issue is not big-think about another 1000 `new' accessible buses which Rapid will buy for the Klang Valley!

Anyway after making a trip to Rapid's Lorong Kulit HQ to view the illusive new bus design these are some the issues and facts which I can share with all interested parties-hopefully a video can be done quickly enough to be done today as well:

1. The ramp of the bus had been reduced from 30" to 25"-so even if the hydraulic system can lower the bus body in split seconds to 10.5" ( from 16") the gradient from ground level is still too steep! (The width of the ramp is 33")Actually the design require the wheelchair users to press a bell at the door located at mid span of the bus body, to alert the bus drivers. The bus driver is supposed to be trained to assist the wheel chair bound passenger by pushing the wheelchair up the steep ramp and then help the passenger to strap the wheelchair to a supporting board located between a pole in the middle of the bus and the side of the bus. When asked if they can consider making it possible for passengers to go onto the bus without assistance the Rapid staff replied that the users will make do with this design for the next few years -presumably until they replace the current buses. Question: Does that mean that the buses cannot be modified/improved anymore at this time?

2. The bus stop issue is still not resolved -so the ramp will remain too steep for a while. However what happen if the bus stops-say in a few years' time, are made to be uniform at 8" high? Some quick calculations: 10.5"-8"=2.5". 2.5"/25"=1:10. This barely make a safe gradient. The best practice is to make the bus platform match with the bus stop platform-as done in Korea, Japan etc. Why don't Rapid try to do that? In Penang the regular tarring of roads tend to add to the height of the road in relation to the bus stop-something is needed to maintain the relative distance of the two.

2.The passenger will sit looking away from the driver, with a limited distance between the back rest and another board in front. Despite claim that the new bus design follow international standards the distance between the back rest and the front board is inadequate for free and safe movement by the wheelchair, considering that there are various sizes of wheelchair being in use in Malaysia. The claim of conformity to international standards is disputed by various parties-including the international assess audit consultants who came to Penang about a month ago. When the passenger want to get down he/she can press a special button located on the railing on the side of the bus body to alert the bus driver. Then the bus driver will have to come around to push the wheelchair down the bus by going backward-as needed by the situation.As mentioned by the passenger involved this assistance require a lot of `compassion' from the bus drivers to provide the assistance satisfactorily. Complicating conditions: what if there is a crowded bus? What if it is raining heavily outside?

3. There is only 1 space allocated for wheelchair user-limiting the possiblity of companions for the wheelchair passengers. The next wheelchair user can still go on the bus-but he/she will not be able to strap himself to the restraining board. He/she just have to hold hard to the railing on the side of the bus. This can be demanding if there is a crowd or if the bus speed or make sharp turns, and if it involves passengers who have problems to hold on to support eg old passengers, passengers with muscular dyfunction etc. Question; why can't Rapid allow 2 spaces for wheelchair users as they did in the last design done by RapidKL?

4. While the wheelchair users got most of the attention the blind users are also complaining: why there is no audio signal when the bus stop to tell the blind users where they are? Question: While the Rapid can do this in the LRT under its control why it cannot copy the technology to the buses  under its control?

The buses are said to make Rapid the first bus company in Malaysia to use European buses. But actually Rapid only order the chasis of the bus without the European/Scannia's disable friendly designs which have to conform to EU's strict accesiblity standards. The designs are locally made by Gemilang, which also supply to Singapore. The reason is to help cut cost. However why can't the Gemilang supplier, which took over from Mtran, refer to international accessiblity designs to deliver a really user friendly design for all Malaysian passengers? Should there be an open tender to ensure that the best user friendly design/supplier be selected?

The Rapid staff were very friendly and welcomed me with the offer to `take you for a ride'. I leave it to readers to decifer what she meant!

But Rapid has obviously made some effort to improve its bus design eg provide hydraulic system to lower the bus platform ie this is the kneeling feature which transports advocates have been calling for, for years. Would it take the next few steps to make the long waited bus design to be fully user friendly?

ong bk

 

Comments

30 June 2009 - 3:11pm — Tanka

The unique feature of this

The unique feature of this bus is that it is accessible to wheelchair-users. Yet only so few wheelchair-users were invited to see this bus. In a recent workshop about accessible transport, there were at least 15 wheelchair users who were keen to check this bus. Why is it that these people were not invited. No need to take us for a ride. Just park the bas beside a bus stop, and let us try to go in and out of the bus. We also need to check the safety features. I also did not see any motorized wheelchair-user. They are the ones that will need this type of buses most because cars cannot carry motorized wheelchairs.

1 July 2009 - 5:14pm — petertan

With due respect, this is

With due respect, this is NOT an accessible bus. An accessible bus allows the disabled person to board independently. We need to understand the definition of accessibility in matters like this in order not to misrepresent disabled people and disseminate the wrong information.

My other concerns, if this is the same ramp design in RapidKL buses, is that the edge if the ramp is not flushed with the ramp itself and also the strength of the hinge of the ramp.

If the edge of the ramp is not of the same gradient with the ramp, it may cause the wheelchair to tip backwards when ascending and cause the wheelchair user with poor upper body strength to fall forward when descending.

Is the hinge for the ramp strong enough to be used repeatly? How often is this part maintained, serviced or replaced? As far as I can see, the hinge is the weakest link in the entire design of the ramp.

Is there a fail-safe mechanism to prevent the bus from moving or being driven away while the bus captain is assisting the wheelchair user?

I kept hearing the representative from RapidPenang saying tht the bus adheres to international standards and also SBS. What international standards are we talking and has there been a study to see whether these standards are suitable for the Malaysian context. At the same time, is the design adapted from SBS the best design available and is this suitable in Malaysian context again?

Were these buses designed in consultation with disabled people in Malaysia? If not why not? And who determined whether these buses are fully accessible, which obviously they are not?

And the last question is what is the expertise of the trainers from USM in conducting trainings for the bus captains? Are wheelchair users part of the team? If not, how can the trainer understand issues of disabled people is such matters?

12 January 2010 - 11:59pm — wwlee

In Australia, Singapore,

In Australia, Singapore, China... most of the buses reach at bus station on time as stated in bus schedule. Some are equipped with GPS tracking knowing what time they are going to reach. They have well planned bus schedule timetable.

Penang public bus? Too crowded during peak hours? Late coming during non-peak hours?
Can meet Penang people's minimum standard boh? Reach on time? This does not need any world class standard to meet. New, new chicken shxt, when they gain no profit, issues turn to the same. Gerakan can launch new bus company but still not showed a good result-"bus on time". This is empty promise to Penang people. Can DAP do something?

Penang Taxi? Still not applying meters fee? When to apply meter-fees charging in all taxi? Do you know every tourist throws bad egg everytime they took taxi, they charge too much? RM40-50 for 30min ride. How many Penang people taking taxi? Gerakan took no action. Can DAP do something? This is unfair to Penang people.

Penang LRT? When to start build? Gerakan promised to build more than 20 years ago, we still see no where. Penang people wait and wait, I think LRT in Penang can be seen after 20-30 years.

Penang public transport never improve for coming if no action taken. More cars on road, traffic jam is getting worst and bad day by day. Jam, jam, jam. Siah lahh.