Ras Adiba calls for action plan to improve facilities for PwDs

KUALA LUMPUR: Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi today called on the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to introduce an inclusive mobility action plan to improve the facilities friendly to Persons with Disabilities (PwD) at public transport areas.

She said the PwD-friendly facilities included lifts, tactile pavements for the visually impaired, Automatic Platform Gates (APG) which are wider for those in wheelchairs, special counters, parking spaces and car drop off locations.

"I hope that the facilities will be improved immediately. Basic facilities such as public transport are still not PWD-friendly in most locations in the country," she said in a statement.

The OKU Sentral president said such an action plan had already been implemented in the United Kingdom through the Inclusive Transport Strategy: Achieving Equal Access for Disabled People.

In line with the 2016-2022 Action Plan for the PwD, she also urged MOT to redouble its efforts to increase the level of accessibility and usability of public transport facilities among the PwDs.

Meanwhile, Ras Adiba welcomed the free bus and train rides for PwDs for a month until Sept 30.

Initiatives such as MyRail5 by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) should be extended to all public transport so that the PwDs could also enjoy the facilities, she said.

Ras Adiba also called on the MOT and Ministry of Finance to consider several proposals for the 2023 Budget.

Among the proposals are the introduction of public transport passes (MyOKU Mobility Pass) for KTMB, Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) and others for PwDs registered under the Social Welfare Department.

"Provisions to ensure that all trains are suitable for those in wheelchairs with chair lifts as well as special toilets and tactile paving," she said.

She also suggested the reintroduction of the door-to-door public transportation services to help facilitate mobility as well as adequate funding for transportation programmes for the private and public sectors as implemented in the United States.

-- BERNAMA