RapidKL’s Free Ride Offer Will Not Compensate For Long Waiting Hours and Faulty Escalators

By Aqasha Nalani  •  in News
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Every once in a while, we hear about something bad at one of our beloved train terminals.

If you’ve been driving to work and cursing in your car every day, just remember, it’s not better for workers who take the train every day either.

(Source: TheRakyatPost)

After waiting in line for their train for almost an hour, several Internet users vented their anger online.

One Twitter user said that she had to wait from 7:45 AM to 8:40 AM and still could not board a train.

With COVID-19 still spreading in Malaysia, it doesn’t help with passengers touching shoulder to shoulder once they board the train.

Images of commuters waiting in line to use an escalator have been making the rounds on social media, illustrating exactly how severe the situation has been over the last month.

The problem doesn’t end there.

Most of those escalators that people are queuing up for don’t even work.

There is even a thread dedicated to faulty escalators that one Twitter user observed in a single day.

KL Sentral LRT, Cochrane MRT, KLCC LRT, Pusat Bandar Damansara MRT, Mutiara Damansara MRT, Kwasa Sentral MRT, Sungai Buloh MRT, and Pasar Seni MRT all have malfunctioning escalators at the moment, according to the thread.

Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong stated today that they are working to change waiting time for trains from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.

The minister elaborated, saying that certain railway sets needed preventative maintenance, which was why service was reduced.

The issue of faulty escalators was not disclosed.

All RapidKL Rides Free for 30 Days From Today

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has declared that, from today, all RapidKL public transportation services would be provided free of charge for the whole month.

The measure is intended to assist the people of the Klang Valley region to save money on basic necessities.

“In conjunction with the official opening of the MRT Putrajaya Line Phase One, I am pleased to announce the provision of free services for all public transport under the operation of RapidKL, namely MRT, LRT, BRT, Monorail and RapidKL buses for one month starting today,” said the Prime Minister.

While this is excellent news for everyone, it may exacerbate existing crowding issues at certain hubs. Free rides will not compensate for the waiting time to get on these services.

Who would want to miss out on free things? The answer is “no one” in this case. Those interested in taking advantage of this offer are encouraged to make travel plans in advance and to be patient since service is not expected to improve in the near future.

As commuters we should continue to raise the issue by reporting any faulty escalators and delayed trains to RapidKL immediately as you encounter them.

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