| RapidKL bus driver Azmi Salleh helping wheelchair-bound Mohd Ihsan Abdul Karim fasten a special seat belt on a RapidKL bus yesterda |
KUALA LUMPUR: A stop button coupled with an announcement to alert bus drivers to assist the disabled to get off have been installed in 400 Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) buses.
The buses also have a ramp for wheelchair access, two docking slots to anchor wheelchairs and special seat belts. When not in use, they provide additional room for standing passengers.These are among the features in buses for the physically challenged and impaired people to make it easier for them when they use public transport.
RapidKL bus division group director Datuk Mohamed Hazlan Mohamed Hussain said the user-friendly facilities were a new dimension to the country's public transport system.
"We are doing this to cater to the diverse needs of the people.
"The buses also additionally feature a kneeling suspension function, which lowers the step height significantly, making entry and disembarkation for able-bodied passengers as well as those on wheelchairs easier and safer," he said after receiving 150 buses from MAN Truck & Buses (M) Sdn Bhd (MTBM) yesterday.
Hazlan said everyone would benefit from the friendly features, including senior citizens and pregnant women.
"A special feature is the Passenger Information System -- a screen for the deaf which displays upcoming bus stops and an audio speaker for the blind."
Hazlan said the buses were the outcome of dialogues with relevant ministries and the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group.
RapidKL is a public transportation provider, a subsidiary of government-owned Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad. The new RapidKL buses are manufactured by MTBM.
"With improved efficiency, the buses will increase the frequency on routes, reducing waiting time from 20 minutes to 15 minutes."
Read more: Easier bus rides for the disabled http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/13ahrk/Article#ixzz1YV0q37cQ
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