LETTERS: THE frustration of commuters in Kuala Lumpur over the disruption of LRT service in 16 stations in KL is to be expected. However, the question is - is it likely to get worse in the days ahead?
This is because there is no guarantee that solutions to the technical problems will be found and applied even after a week when two overseas experts arrive.
Netizens have called for the resignation of top officials of Prasarana Malaysia Bhd but that will not resolve the basic problem nor answer some questions.
After being in operation for the last 24 years, it is beyond belief that there has not been any reliable local back-up plan.
Why have no locals been trained to handle similar emergencies? Breakdowns should always be expected in any transport system and the corollary is that there must always be a fallback contingency plan to rectify the situation without delay.
There should not be an over-dependence on the company that supplied the driverless trains.
Should Prasarana be taken to task for this seeming oversight?
The next question is who is going to compensate the 200,000 daily commuters who will now have to bear additional costs and inconvenience in securing other modes of transport.
There are not enough feeder buses to compensate for the LRT service disruption.
A large portion of the daily commuters are from the B40 group who can scarcely afford the e-hailing service, the cost of which has skyrocketed.
Some of them are car-pooling and the increasing number of vehicles on the city's roads is causing massive traffic jams.
This disruption is also impacting the economy and thus adversely affecting non-commuters as well.
Indeed, the time is long over for excuses, explanations, apologies and assurances. Most of these are lame, blasé or just unacceptable.
It's time to take the bull by the horns and ensure that the light at the end of the tunnel is not just the light of an oncoming LRT train.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times