With as many as 16 stations along the incredibly busy Kelana Jaya LRT line being shut down for upwards of a week to facilitate in repair services, commuters across the Klang Valley are understandably angry and frustrated at having to find alternative means of transportation to get to where they need to be.
According to Prasarana, the reason of the closures has been attributed to repair works that will be carried out on the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system, which has been faulty since Monday (November 7th, 2022).
Kind M’sians open up their cars to offer carpool services to LRT commuters
But if there is one silver lining to be witnessed from this entire ordeal, it’s in the unreserved kindness and generosity that we Malaysians all share unanimously, transcending race, religion, and culture. With the #LRTDOWN hashtag trending over Twitter yesterday (November 9th, 2022), a number of netizens who travel to work by car have stepped up to offer carpool services to commuters that need a ride between stations.
To learn more about the initiative, WauPost has reached out and spoken to two netizens who have been driving stranded commuters yesterday; Intan, and Lana. Speaking on her experience, Intan said that she was inspired to take action after realising how difficult things would become for those who rely on public transport to get home, owing to the Kelana Jaya line’s closure.
“Hence I think I should offer my help to those who are facing difficulties to ease their burdens.
To think that someone out there is still stranded and cannot make it home after spending the whole day at work really saddened me,” she mentioned.
A sense of helplessness & concern drove them to action
In Lana’s case, she decided to take the initiative to offer carpool services to commuters after coming across one netizen’s ordeal of having to walk along a highway when one of the free shuttle bus services offered by RapidKL after the LRT service disruptions dropped them off by the roadside. Working as a freelancer, she said it afforded her with enough time to travel between stations.
“I also felt helpless seeing all those Tweets coming from people who were asking how they can get from Point A to Point B.
Some information provided by RapidKL has been helpful, but imagine if you need to switch between 2 to 3 feeder buses, and the stations are crowded.” Lana adds.
Since yesterday (November 9th, 2022), Intan has managed to ferry eight passengers between a number of LRT stations along the Kelana Jaya line. It wouldn’t be until 11.30pm when she finally returned home. In Lana’s case, she only managed to fetch one passenger who took up her carpool offer, but said she has other bookings today as well as tomorrow.
Commenting on the current situation, Lana said that it felt overwhelming to witness the state of things at the LRT stations.
“Imagine if this situation happened in Tokyo or New York!” she exclaimed.
Similarly, companies such as local radio broadcasters BulletinFM and HOT FM have also been offering to pick up any commuters who need a lift from their respective LRT stations.
Semoga bantuan kecil ini dapat membantu memudahkan urusan anda semua 💕
Team kami masih ada disana, yang nak pergi kerja boleh ke LRT Kelana Jaya ya! 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/tzc0Hn7PS9
— Buletin FM🇲🇾 (@buletinfm) November 9, 2022
Morning guys! Team Hot FM akan terus bantu korang yang terjejas dengan gangguan LRT laluan Kelana Jaya – Ampang Park sepanjang 7 hari ni sehingga 15 November 2022.
Pergi & balik kerja kitorang tolong korang okay?
Semoga ini dapat membantu meringankan masalah korang ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SfKwvSJ59Y
— Hot FM 🇲🇾 (@hotfm976) November 9, 2022
Caretaker Transport Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong has called for Prasarana to provide periodic updates regarding the current status of the LRT repairs, so that the public can be kept informed throughout the process.
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