Public transport companies slammed for ‘third class maintenance’

 

The Kelana Jaya LRT line has been in the news recently because of many breakdowns.

PETALING JAYA: A transport consultant has hit out at the companies maintaining the country’s public transport systems for failing in their responsibilities.

Rosli Azad Khan said the companies managing the public transport systems continued to fail in their responsibilities even though the government had a clear policy to move away from private vehicles and towards greater usage of bus and rail services.

“Maintenance of the infrastructure and facilities of public transport leaves much to be desired. Perhaps we hired the wrong group of people who are not technically competent to manage and maintain these outfits to produce the best level of services required,” he told FMT.

He said he agreed with transport minister Loke Siew Fook, who yesterday said Malaysia possessed first class public transport facilities but their maintenance was “third class”. Loke had said this in reference to the many disruptions affecting the Kelana Jaya LRT line recently.

Rosli said large sums had been allocated for public transport infrastructure and facilities, with the government investing in the best technology to encourage greater use of bus and rail services.

He singled out rail operator Prasarana Malaysia Bhd for lacking the commitment to promote the use of public transport. He called for its top management to quit and be replaced by a team who believed in the government’s policies and aspirations to reduce the use of private vehicles.

Another transport consultant, Goh Bok Yen, said the maintenance of public transport systems required skilled engineers and technicians with in-depth knowledge of the systems.

“The maintenance staff must stay up-to-date with developments in the systems instead of becoming complacent and we must ensure that engineers and technicians get adequate training,” he said.

Goh said this will allow the maintenance team to ensure that the public transport system was sustainable and could perform at an optimum level. - FMT