Penang Watch

Rapid bus operator has a record of making unkept promises: when its creative communication officer promised to BEAT members in 2006 to provide disable friendly buses they reneged on that promises-and did not check if the ramp fit with the bus stop kerbs to a inclination of no more than 1:20, as demanded by relevant safety standards. Then Rapid promised disable friendly buses for Penang in 2007 -and repeated the bluff when the buses arrived. Now they promised that ramps for wheelchair access will be fitted to the 140 new buses -can you be holding your breath given their records of not keeping their promises?

NST Online » Local News
2008/10/16
Wheelchair ramps on buses

Wow! Buses without license running wild in Terengganu!

In Putrajaya it seems that everything costs more eg 1 parking lot cost RM24 234.00 -almost half of a low cost house elsewhere in Malaysia. RM70 mil will be used to buy 104 new buses ie it is RM673 077.00/bus-almost twice of new RapidPg buses bought at RM50mil/150 new buses=RM300 000.00 /bus! Are the parking bays and buses much higher in quality than the ones in Penang? Do they have asecurity guard for each parking bay or the Putrajaya buses come with wifi facilities?

http://www.mmail.com.my/Readymade_train_wreck.aspx

Readymade train wreck
October 10, 2008      Categories: News

A whopping RM200 million was spent to buy 20 China-made Class 29 locomotives that were supposed to pave the way for a smoother rail service. Yet, less than three years later, only five are in service.

The rest? Lying abandoned in various Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) yards across the country, all mothballed because of a laundry list of technical problems.

The idea of free shuttle service for George Town is an old idea from the previous state government-but it is repackaged as a new idea under the current government. The problems from the last attempt still stand: why add a service in a well serviced area -between Weld Quay and KOMTAR, while there are many areas of Penang where there are not enough service and in other instances, no service at all? RapidPg blamed the lack of buses on the inadequacy of services tehre-but it could afford to spare a few buses to run the free shuttles!

Where is a user speaker among the panel of speakers on public transport?

The RapidPg's 1-day public transport forum yesterday, held at Dorsett Hotel, became a forum where the speakers all spoke about public transport without allowing the users to provide a response as a speaker. Judging from the numerous complaints that users brought up from the floor the impression was that the organiser was intent to shut out the voice of the users from the speakers panel. But this did not stop Bus Users Group to expose the tricks of the RapidPg in ensuring that there is no user speaker probably giving them negative feedback at their forum. It was  shame!