When I worked at KLCC (sob sob rindu), my primary mode of transportation was the Putra LRT. I never had any major problems. Even if there were, it was on very rare occasions, like when it rained heavily, maintenance or a train broke down. This happened only rarely! The frequency of the trains are also such that the longest you have to wait is 10 minutes. And the convenience was that we could use the Touch N Go service. There are even vending machines for Touch N Go cards at the stations! How cool is that? At the Commuter station, you can't even top up your Touch N Go. I now take this wretched transportation service to work. How do I rate it out of 10? Only 0.5... And I think this score is gracious enough because of the ladies' coach... What do I have to complain about? Well, lets go through list... It makes me ponder on the fact what the point of the whole Komuter bullshit was in the first place...
1. Not enough trains... You would think that after a few decades and the not so cheap ticket price, they would have added enough trains to accommodate the thousands of passengers that increase in amount every day...
2. The lousy and unfriendly staff. It is as if their attitude must match the service of the commuters.
3. The long wait. For LRT, the minimum wait is 3-4 minutes. Maximum is 10 minutes. For commuters, the minimum is 30 minutes, the maximum? The sky is the limit. I have once waited for almost over an hour. So if you missed a train? Hahahaha....
4. Sardine-like capacity... It seems that rubbing yourself against another passenger has become a normal occurrence in the coaches especially when you are the unlucky ones who board the train at hot spot stations during peak hours. And when you get to KL Sentral, you can hear the uncivilized shouts from right and left, cursing and shouting at everyone to move in as far as they can. The most sophisticated lady can turn into an ugly wicked witch when faced in this situation. Seriously, it sounded like a third-rate pasar malam from Thailand or something. This happens EVERYDAY... Improvements? When hell freezes over...
5. Normal delays and breakdowns... Oh yes... This is what the KTM Komuter is so famous about since its inception. It is as if they are trying to win an award year after year on who can have the most inefficient service and the most delays and breakdowns for trains... Yup, you win hands down, KTM.
6. The bitterness of the passengers... The awful service of the Komuter itself has pushed the passengers to become a more grouchy and bitter person. This is due to the fact that they don't look forward to ride the train, but they have no choice. So the dissatisfaction they feel for the Komuter is translated into their attitude and thus the courtesy Malaysians are supposedly famous for vanishes once you are on this train. Only a handful with a conscience will surrender their seats to the elderly, the pregnant ladies, the OKU and the more needy ones. Others will only look on shamelessly, thinking to themselves, "I have fought hard for this seat, no way in hell I am giving it up no matter who you are!" And there are also the famous ones, the ones who pretend not to notice that you need a seat by pretending to be fast asleep...
The trigger for me writing this was when I used my Touch N Go card at the Komuter, thinking to relive the convenience I enjoyed at Putra LRT where I do not have to stand in line for tickets, or in case I don't have change to get the tickets at the vending machine, or simply if I don't have the money that day. Touch N Go would be my lifesaver. Imagine my shock, anger and utter disbelief when I noticed the Touch N Go swipe ripped me off!! It was my second day using the card, and if I did not look at the balance, I would not have noticed that I was ripped off by RM10 for a single ride which was only RM2!! And later that evening when my ride back was supposed to only be RM1, I was charged with RM2. That's it!! I confronted the staff at Batu Caves station and asked if their Touch N Go swipe was faulty. He was very nice but got on my nerve because he kept defending the machine. He even gave instructions on how to go to KL Sentral and complained about my card, and see if they can detect what is at fault with my card. WTF!? I calmly told him (only because he was nice) that my card never encountered any problems, ever, and has been used extensively at toll plazas, Putra LRT and even STAR LRT. He then replied that my card could be 'tiba-tiba rosak kot'. Before I wrestle this guy for the next stupid thing that comes out of his mouth, I just asked him: "Would you advice me not to use my card at Komuter at the moment?" "Hehehe ok ok just stop using first..." Idiot...
I have got loads more to complain, but lets just take a look at this article, shall we? It shed so much light on KTM's incompetency, as well as reminding people that there is nothing to proud of in KTM Komuter...
http://standupformalaysia.blogspot.com/2009/07/ktm-komuter-decade-and-half-not-enough.html
So people, avoid this crappy ride if you can... Unfortunately, I can't... But I am reassuring myself that there is a place in heaven for victims of KTM Komuter Berhad...
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