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PETALING JAYA (Oct 16): Representing disabled people, a coalition of NGOs today denounced Putrajaya’s plan to replace feeder buses with Grab cars,
Free Malaysia Today reports that the NGOs called the idea unacceptable and simplistic.
The Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport (BEAT) group was quoted as drawing notice to the poor and marginalised groups who may depend solely on public transport to get around.
Coordinator Christine Lee said that affordability should be a concern.
Feeder bus service costs RM1 per trip, with discounts for senior citizens, students and persons with disabilities, she said in a statement cited by the news portal, while Grab car fare was “six to 10 times” higher.
Accessibility was a concern as taxis and Grab cars were not designed to accommodate wheelchair-bound individuals.
“At present, all feeder buses are wheelchair-friendly, equipped with features such as ramps, dedicated spaces and special alert buttons, among others,” she was quoted as saying.
Finance minister’s political secretary Tony Pua was reported as saying last week, that Putrajaya was considering public-private partnerships in government projects, including for infrastructure and public transport expenditure, in order to manage its fiscal deficit and large debt.
“Why should you provide feeder buses if you can work with Grab? They can actually arrive and give door-to-door delivery from the MRT to commuters’ homes at a reasonable price, and at a cost that will be cheaper than us (the government) supplying feeder buses,” he said.
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