IN preparation for the feeder bus services to be operational when the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line is up and running, the MRT feeder bus underwent an accessibility audit for the disabled at the KVMRT Training Centre on 28 September 2016.

The auditors were members of the Transportation Committee for Disabled. The committee is under the purview of the Ministry of Transport (MOT).

The audit session was a requirement by MOT under Section 27 – Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 which enshrines the right of people with disabilities to use any public facilities like any other people.

During the audit, the committee also gave feedback on the prototype feeder bus that was showcased to them.

Commencing at 11.00am, Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) Head of Trackworks & Maintenance Vehicle, Electrical & Mechanical Systems, Encik Zamri Abas provided a brief explanation on the feeder buses.

He mentioned that 112 buses will be deployed for the first phase of the MRT SBK Line service whereas a total of 300 buses will be used for the entire service once operational in July 2017. Scania AB and AB Volvo are the manufacturers for the buses.

Features of the bus for the disabled were also pointed out, including a ramp for wheel chair access, dedicated area for wheel-chaired passengers, and the special button for disabled passengers to alert the bus driver to stop the vehicle.

A short question and answer session was conducted with the assistance of Prasarana Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PRASARANA) MyRapid Bus Manager, SBK Line Encik Zakaria Kasim.

Others present were the MRT Corp Operational Readiness Third Party Interface Taskforce and the Operational Readiness Marketing and Commercial Taskforce. Representatives from Scania AB, AB Volvo and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) were also present during the day.