THE recently opened Mass Rapid Transit Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line is a boon for public transport users in the Greater Kuala Lumpur. The 51km line serves by 31 stations, of which seven are underground.
Strategic communications and stakeholder relations director Datuk Najmuddin said in a news report that 160,000 cars can be taken off the road if 400,000 people use the MRT daily. On July 23, barely one week after its opening, the ridership for the day reached 142,213 passengers.
Incidentally, my wife and I went on a short adventure on the MRT on that particular day. There is a station near where we live called Maluri. We had to drive there because the buses that serve our housing estate are not accessible. The MRT feeder buses, which are accessible, do not serve our housing estate.
Although the station has parking facilities, we parked at a shopping mall linked to the station. It was late afternoon and we wanted to have lunch first before taking the ride. To get to the station, we had to cross the road using a pedestrian bridge, take an elevator to the ground level, walk about 100 metres to take another elevator to get to the underground station.
The bridge was where I encountered my first difficulty. The slope connecting the mall to the bridge was steeper than I could manage. My wife had to help push me up. As we discovered later, all the ramps we encountered at several of the stations have gradients I could either ascend only with great effort or required assistance.
Although the ramps complied with minimum accessibility standards, longer ramps with gentler gradients that required less exertion to use would have been more appreciated. As far as I can see, the stations have sufficient space to make longer ramps or even switchback ramps. This was not capitalised to make it safer and more convenient for wheelchair users.
That gripe aside, the stations were generally equipped with good accessible features. They were spacious, brightly lit and have excellent air-conditioning. The last feature is a welcome relief especially in our hot and humid weather.
The customer service counter was of a suitable height for wheelchair users to interact comfortably with the staff. It was even equipped with an induction loop. This is a sound system that transmits audio signals via a magnetic field that can be picked up by compatible hearing aids. It is useful for hearing announcements more clearly by reducing background noises.
Non-disabled customers were encouraged to purchase their tickets from vending machines. Disabled people, senior citizens and students who get a 50 per cent discount off the fare can purchase a token from customer service counters upon presentation of NRIC, student card, or Kad OKU.
The one aspect of the MRT I found most delightful was the staff. There were friendly, cheerful and courteous. That was not all, seeing that I was using a wheelchair, one staff member was assigned to assist me to the platform and into the train.
The platform screen doors that open to carriages with space for wheelchairs were labelled with the international symbol of accessibility. This is the logo of a wheelchair stickman against a dark blue background. This took the guessing out of where to wait.
Getting onto the train was easy. The platform and the floor of the train was almost level. I could wheel into it without any difficulty but it was nice to have a station staff member assisting me since it was the first time I was using the MRT.
The stretch we travelled on were all underground. Our destination was three stations away at Bukit Bintang, the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur. The entire journey took only nine minutes. It usually takes us 30 minutes by car. For once, it was nice going somewhere by train without having to go through the hassle of looking for a parking bay and paying exorbitant parking fees.
On our way back, we stopped by Cochrane Station. There is a shopping mall nearby where we planned to shop for our weekly groceries. Unfortunately, we discovered we could not cross the busy road to get to the mall. When we got back to the station, we discovered the elevator was out of service.
We went around looking for another elevator but it appeared there was only one for this station. My wife went down to inform the counter staff, who promptly contacted the maintenance crew. There was nothing we could do but wait, not knowing when it would be made operational again.
The elevator was finally working again after 45 minutes. The station staff were very apologetic over the predicament I had to go through. I hope that was just a teething problem. All the stations along the line are either raised or below ground. Wheelchair users like me can only access them with the elevator. It is imperative they are in working condition at all times. Otherwise, we would be stranded.
I have not had time to assess the entire line but from what I have experienced so far, I am quite satisfied with the facilities and accessibility except for the ramps. The other needed improvements are increasing the coverage of accessible feeder buses, and making the connectivity to places of interest and major landmarks within walking distance from the stations seamless and safe.
To be fair, the entire line has just opened. Some of the external facilities are not fully completed yet. Given time, together with constructive feedback from the public, and fine tuning of the system, I believe the improvements will come. As it is, my wife and I are already planning to visit some of the places we never thought of going to before. The convenience the MRT offers has opened up a world of opportunities and possibilities for us.