"Mobility Assistance Penang" (MAP)

TRANSPORT SERVICE FOR DISABLED PERSONS OF PENANG

Introduction           

People with disabilities and frail elders need transportation to get to work, school, recreation, medical services, and all the other activities of daily living.

Public transportation should also be accessible for blind persons, those who are partially sighted, people with mobility and cognitive impairments, and persons who are deaf, deafened, or hard-of-hearing.

Unfortunately, the public transportation system available in Penang even up to 5 years ago was not suitable for some of the people mentioned above especially  inaccessible to wheelchair users. Very often even until now some of the bus drivers still do not have the patience to wait for passengers who are slower such as the disabled.

Taxi service is normally too expensive for average disabled persons many of whom belong to the lower income group. They cannot afford to take taxi to go to and from work everyday. Many taxi drivers are also reluctant to help disabled persons carry their wheelchairs or walking aids into their taxis. 

Some disabled persons make specially arrangement for “kereta sapu” (private taxi service) to fetch them to work. But that can be very expensive --- as much as RM 200 a month. This service is available only on monthly basis. It is difficult to get these drivers to make single trip, such as going to the hospital, government office, visit friends or shopping.

Because of the transportation problem, many parents find it difficult to send their disabled children to school, many educated disabled adults are unable to go to work and many disabled persons simply stay at home not going anywhere at all. Some working disabled persons have to resign from work when their families are relocated to places too far for them to travel by their tricycles.

Due to all the above reasons, the Society of the Disabled Persons Penang started to look into transport service for the disabled persons in Penang in 2000 with a project name of "Mobility Assistance Penang"(MAP).