Public transport operators taking safety measures

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KUALA LUMPUR: Public transport operators have given the assurance that they have taken the necessary steps to prevent the spread of influenza A (H1N1).

Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Sdn Bhd (RapidKL) communications general manager Ebi Azly Abdullah said its staff, particularly customer service staff, had been reminded to observe personal hygiene and to keep the surroundings clean.

RapidKL, which handles about 700,000 bus and Light Rail Transit (LRT) passengers daily, also supplies hand sanitisers and surgical masks to customer service staff, bus drivers and security officers who are in constant contact with passengers.

Ebi Azly said RapidKL also carried health checks at bus holding bays and LRT stations to ensure all officers on duty were healthy.

Train coaches were also being disinfected on a daily basis, he said.

"The LRT stations are being cleaned on a daily basis using special chemicals.

"We are also stepping up efforts to clean buses in all bus depots in the Klang Valley," he said.

He was commenting on a report yesterday about the concern expressed by commuters on the spread of the H1N1 virus among passengers of public transport.

RapidKL, said Ebi Azly, might also provide free hand sanitisers at LRT stations and RapidKL bus hubs.

It was also in constant contact with the Health Ministry to determine the steps to be taken to keep the pandemic at bay.

"RapidKL also has in place a business continuity plan that states the steps to be taken to tackle the pandemic."

Meanwhile, Federation of Taxi Drivers and Hired Car Association president Abdul Wahab Omar said taxi drivers were aware of the risks of H1N1 transmissions.

"Although we service fewer passengers compared to other modes of transportation, we are also concerned over the spread of the virus as we have no way of telling whether or not a passenger has the symptoms.

"There are no guidelines on how taxi drivers should deal with the pandemic. However, there are many taxi drivers who have started wearing surgical masks on their own initiatives."

The federation, which has 25,000 taxi drivers in its stable nationwide, hoped that the government could help educate taxi and hired car drivers on the precautionary steps to be taken and supply them with surgical masks and hand sanitisers.

"This is especially important for taxi and hired car operators at the borders and airports where there is a high concentration of people."