Public transport now allowed to operate at full capacity

CORONAVIRUS | All public transport modes will now be allowed to operate at full capacity under the recovery movement control order (MCO), said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

This includes taxis, e-hailing services, express buses, public buses, trains, light rail trains (LRT), ferries and flights.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) for public transport is for passengers to wear face masks for the entire journey, he said.

For taxis, e-hailing services and buses, the drivers must also wear face masks throughout the journey, he added.

Previously, public transport was allowed to operate at limited capacities such as at half capacity for trains and two passengers maximum in a taxi or e-hailing cars.

“The meeting agreed to allow e-hailing and taxis to operate without a time limit or passenger limit following the capacity of the vehicle.

“The usage of the MySejahtera app to make it easier to do contact tracing and cashless payment is encouraged.

“It is compulsory for all passengers and drivers to wear face masks,” Ismail (photo) said.

Express buses are also allowed to operate at full capacity without time limit, he said. Express bus operators must register their passengers through the MySejahtera app or do it manually for passengers without the app.

Aside from wearing face masks, express bus passengers must have their body temperatures checked before getting on the bus.

Ismail said express bus operators must also provide face masks for those passengers without and sanitise the buses after every trip.

He also suggested that operators could sell face masks to the passengers.

For public transport that allows passengers to stand, such as trains and LRTs, he urged passengers to practice social distancing during the ride.

“The set SOP, which must be complied with at all times, also include wearing face masks, downloading the MySejahtera app and using hand sanitiser,” he said.

Flights are also now allowed to operate at full capacity. The passengers’ body temperatures must be checked before they are allowed onto the flight, and they must wear face masks throughout the journey, he said.

Meanwhile, for private vehicles, he said the maximum number of people in a car remains capped at four people or according to the capacity of the vehicle.

However, previously, only individuals from the same household were allowed to share a vehicle. Now, he said, individuals from different households can share a vehicle as long as they comply with the maximum capacity.

Previously, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, which is a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, had reversed its decision to end social distancing measures on trains when the recovery MCO starts. 

Prasarana had said the rail service will continue with social distancing measures until the government decides otherwise.

Before that, Rapid Rail had said they intended to end social distancing on the trains such as removing social distancing markings on the trains and at the stations.

However, they reversed this decision following a rebuke from Ismail who had said the rail service had no authority to change social distancing regulations set by the government to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

- Mkini