The Penang state government has allegedly misled the public into believing that the new stage buses to be deployed by RapidPenang this August "would be 100 percent disabled friendly."

In making this allegation, Bus Users Group (Bug) spokesperson BK Ong recalled that the state government had assured that RapidPenang buses would cater for the needs of all disabled people, including those who are wheelchair-bound.

"However, the state government has now made a clear U-turn by announcing that the buses would only be partially disabled friendly," he said.

He said state executive councillor Dr Teng Hock Nan, who oversees local government, traffic management, information and community relations, assured during a meeting last year that RapidPenang buses would be totally disabled friendly.

Even Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon had given his word on this in several press meets.

"The state government even said that existing and new bus terminals and stands would be renovated and built to be disabled-friendly," Ong told malaysiakini .

However, in the past few months, Teng has announced several times that RapidPenang would only be partially disabled-friendly.

He said it would be difficult for the buses to cater to the needs of all disabled people, especially those on wheelchairs.

"The buses would only be able to cater to the needs of disabled people who can still walk."The buses would also be friendly to children, senior citizens and pregnant

women," he added.

According to Teng, the second batch of buses to be used later by RapidPenang would be "100 percent disabled friendly."

Be serious

However, Ong was unimpressed with the state government's about turn on the matter.

"Why can't the buses be 100 percent disabled friendly now. After all, the state government promised it. It can be done if the authorities and the bus operators are serious about

it," he said.

He said Penangites should now hold the state government responsible for "not

telling the truth from the beginning."

RapidPenang is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rangkaian Pengangkutan Intergrasi Deras Sdn Bhd or RapidKL, which is the Finance Ministry Incorporated (Mof Inc.) - wholly owned public transport company.

Effective from August this year, RapidPenang will deploy 150 new buses, imported for RM31 million from China, to ply five main corridor routes on the island and three more in

Seberang Perai.

The island's main routes will link Weld Quay in George Town with Teluk Bahang,

Air Itam, Bayan Baru and Balik Pulau, and between Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau, while the

mainland corridor routes will link Butterworth with Kepala Batas, Bukit Mertajam and Nibong Tebal.

A link bus service will also be operational via Penang Bridge between Bayan Baru on the island and Megamall Pinang on the mainland.

The company will operate 35 high and low-density routes, including 28 on the island and seven on the mainland, and deploy 135 buses to ply the routes at any one time.

RapidKL Chief Operating Officer for Bus Operations, Mohd Ali Mohd Nor said

that RapidPenang would work closely with Public Transport Consultative Forum

to garner feedbacks and implement new strategies to consistently improve the bus service.

Headed by Teng, the forum would have representatives from RapidPenang and Cepat.

However, Ong cautioned that the state government would turn the forum into a mere kopitiam corner to talk about bus service.

He claimed that the state government would use the forum at every opportunity to neutralise social groups that were vocal on public transport system.

"The Gerakan-led state government has always been good at it," he said, while hinting that Bug would pull out if the forum proved to be a lame duck.