Former transport minister Anthony Loke has criticised the government’s move to restrict the daily operational hours for public transport due to an alleged drop in passenger numbers following the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO).
He said the new time of 6am to 10am and 5pm to 10pm is “counter-productive” as it would then force commuters, needing to use public transport to go to the markets, to wake up earlier and buy their groceries before 10am so they can head home.
“I think the steps to not allow public transport operations from 10am to 5pm will bring the effect of ‘counterproductive’.
“Most of the supermarkets are only open after 10am. For those who are out and back between 10 am to 5pm, they have no choice but to use taxi services or e-travel.
“Won’t this add to their daily spending burden?” Loke asked in a Facebook post.
He said the government should think of ways to reduce the expenses of the people in difficult conditions now and told them to review this law in order to not create a huge number of passengers in the morning.
“People who depend on public buses to go to the market or supermarket to purchase goods and food have to do so before 10am and this will add the number of passengers who went to work at that time. This is what should be avoided at the moment.
“I call the government to review the steps and I suggest that all public transport operators are given leniency to determine their operating schedule which is reducing trips at a time that is not the peak between 10am to 5pm,” he added.
Earlier today, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said during the MCO, public transport is only needed by workers travelling to and from work.
However, Ismail said that the new operating hours for public transport will not affect e-hailing services.
Earlier, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) said that it will be implementing limited services for its public transport services from tomorrow until March 31.
Prasarana in a statement today said all Rapid KL train services covering the LRT, MRT and monorail will only be operating from 6 am to 10 am, and from 5 pm to 10 pm under the following schedule.
Monday to Friday:
6.00 am – 7.00 am: 30-minute frequency
7.00 am – 9.00 am: 10-minute frequency (peak hours)
9.00 am – 10.00 am: 30-minute frequency
5.00 pm – 7.00 pm: 10-minute frequency (peak hours)
7.00 pm – 10.00 pm: 30-minute frequency
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays:
6.00 am – 10.00 am: 30-minute frequency
5.00 pm – 10.00 pm: 30-minute frequency
“There will be no service between 10 am to 5 pm. The last train will end its service at 10 pm and all stations will be closed accordingly,” the statement added.
All stage buses – Rapid KL, Rapid Penang, Rapid Kuantan, Rapid Kamunting and Rapid Manjung will also be operating from 6 am to 10 am, and from 5 pm to 10 pm.
“For current bus locations, customers may refer to http://myrapidbus.prasarana.com.my/kiosk while Rapid Penang customers can download the Rapid Penang Journey Planner app from Google Play.
“They may also call our helpline team for assistance,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Feri Pulau Pinang, which is run by Rapid Ferry, will be operating a single ferry every hour between 6 am and 10 am, and between 5 pm and 10 pm.
Prasarana also strongly advised members of the public, especially those under Essential Services and are required to work and need to use these services, to plan their journey well or seek alternative transports.
As for others, they should just follow the government’s order to stay at home, it added.
For details and updates, kindly check Prasarana’s social media links of Rapid KL Facebook @myrapid, Twitter or Instagram at @myrapidkl, it said.