KUALA LUMPUR: Cyclists can now bring their full-sized bicycles on board Kelana Jaya, Sri Petaling and Ampang Light Rail Transit (LRT) line trains on every first and third Sunday of each month.
Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Zohari Sulaiman said cyclists are allowed to bring their bicycles onto trains from 6am to 10am, in tandem with the KL Car Free Morning (KLCFM) programme.
"We sincerely hope more cyclists will respond to this programme, as we are strong supporters of a healthy lifestyle amongst Malaysians.
"There is no extra charge for passengers bringing full-sized or foldable bicycles on trains.
"If the response is good, we are ready to extend the programme further," he said after the launch of the Bike and Ride programme at the Bandaraya LRT station today.
In April, RapidKL, through its Twitter handle @MyRapidKL, conducted an online poll on its plan to allow cyclists to bring full-sized bicycles onto its four-car and six-car trains on its LRT lines.
Zohari said 80 per cent of those polled supported the
move.
He said following the poll result, a series of riding simulation sessions was conducted in cooperation with the Prasarana Cycling Club and the Land Public Transport Commission to ensure the safety of passengers and train operations.
While supporting KLCFM’s goals, the Bike and Ride programme is also aimed at expanding ridership.
"We hope the programme will help further enhance the 'first mile and last mile' connectivity and contribute to efforts to increase the public transport modal share, which is targeted at 40 per cent by 2030,” Zohari said.
While Rapid Rail is allowing full-sized bicycles to be carried onto LRT trains on dedicated Sundays, cyclists must exercise caution and discretion.
"There are rules and regulations that they need to follow for the comfort of fellow passengers.
"If the trains are packed, they must refrain from forcing the bikes onto the trains. The cyclists must also enter the trains from specific doors at the stations.
"For the Kelana Jaya line, they can only board the four-car trains," he said.
Also present at the event was KLCFM implementation committee chairman Datuk Naim Mohamad.
Currently, only folded bicycles are allowed onboard LRT trains during off-peak hours.
Travellers who cycle and wish to bring along their foldable bicycles are allowed to board trains during after-peak hours, from 10am to 3pm, as well as from 9pm to 12am on weekdays; and any time on weekends.
Meanwhile, on the response to the special Rapid Rail number +6010-766 4472 introduced on Aug 1 for passengers to share images and feedback on their travel experience, Zohari said it has been encouraging.
“We appreciate the support given by commuters and we hope to further improve our services," he added.