On the 9th of July 2020, passengers from the Persatuan Sokongan Orang Kurang Upaya Johor Bahru tried out the Hino Poncho minibus and its Person with Disability (PWD) friendly features. The test run with the PWD was conducted during the Poncho's month long trial run in Johor Bahru in collaboration with Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and Handal Indah Sdn Bhd, which operates route 10B which was chosen as the test route for the minibus.
The Hino Poncho is suitable for Persons with Disability as it is a low floor minibus and is equipped with features designed for PWDs like its ultra low-floor design, a side ramp for ease of entry and exit (especially for visually impaired and wheelchair bound people) and also a vehicle height adjustable system to aid getting on and off even more. The Hino Poncho, if accepted into service, will be the first of its kind in Malaysia to be able to cater to most PWDs here.
The test ride of Hino Poncho with PWDs passengers representing Persatuan Sokongan Orang Kurang Upaya Johor Bahru was successfully held on 9 July 2020 and the 15 minute test ride started from Johor Bahru Sentral to Pandan bus stop.
Mohd Saiful Razali, from Jabatan Belia & Sukan Negeri Johor (The Johor State Youth & Sports Department), was one of the PWD passengers. Mohd Saiful is visually impared and he stated that the low-floor feature made it easy him to hop in and out of the minibus without too much worry.
As for the Hino Poncho's wheelchair friendly status, Ermy Jeffry Jamil, who works at Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Negeri Johor (The Johor State Human Resources Department), had said that the low floor feature and the slide ramp gave him the ability to to hop on and off independently without the need of any extra assistance. Another feature is that there are anchoring points for the wheelchair to be more secured inside the bus during a trip for added safety.
Its height adjustable design allows its height to be lowered down by 50 mm to enhance the boarding and alighting property at bus stops and with the raising control, the chassis is able to lift up to 30 mm higher to improve driveability on rough terrain.
This convenience is also beneficial to the operators of routes which have to cater to PWD as well as the elderly as the bus height can be adjusted to suit the 'climbing' capabilities of these groups of people as it will make things easier for them. It will also make stops at bus stops take up less time as people of various disabilites to get in and out of the bus. Less time at the stops could also mean increased productivity and more efficiency which would benefit everyone including the bus operators.
On a personal note, I do hope that bus operators in Malaysia would catch on to operating these types of buses. It ensures safety of the passengers with disability and the elderly in terms of usability and it makes life so much easier for them too.
Do have a look at our video on the Hino Poncho taken at the recent MCVE 2019 show. We showed that it is easy to get inside one if the person in wheelchair bound.
No comments:
Post a Comment