In life ‘blessings’ are necessary, for they make the business of living worthwhile.
For people with disabilities (PWDs) one such ‘blessing’ comes in the form of Persatuan Mobiliti Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur, a non-governmental organisation that provides the much needed transport service to the disabled community, at a dirt-cheap rate.
It is only befitting that Persatuan Mobiliti was awarded the Malaysia NGO Awards 2008 by Exxon Mobil, Yayasan Nanyang Press and The Resource Alliance recently. The award acknowledges and rewards organisations which are setting and promoting best practice in resource mobilisation, accountability and transparency.
Set up in 2002, Persatuan Mobiliti has six vans on the road, five of which are fitted with hydraulic lifts and a wheelchair restraint system, which enables wheelchair passengers to travel comfortably and safely. Of the six vans, one can accommodate eight people and is mainly used for passengers with disabilities such as learning disabled, visually impaired and those walking with aids among others.
Corporations either donate the vans or contribute money for the upkeep of these vehicles.
Zamani Hassan, 41, a driver of two years with Persatuan Mobiliti said it was his desperation to earn a regular income that led him to seek employment with the association. Today, however, Zamani relates to his job differently. It is more than just paying his bills. He sees it as a social obligation for him, giving him the needed sense of purpose to carry on. His van driver’s salary is barely enough to feed the family but still this father of five goes about his work with a smile on his face.
“I feel good because I am able to help, albeit in a small way. It has become more of a ‘kerja amal’ or work for a good cause for me,” he said.
Looking at his enthusiasm, CHALLENGES decided to take a ride with Zamani, seizing the chance to, one, to learn about the service provided by Persatuan Mobiliti and second, to let readers know how deserving of a helping hand Persatuan Mobiliti is.
For a mere RM6, users of this door-to-door transport service are picked up from their homes and taken to the respective hospitals for their check-up or to collect their supply of medicine. There are also users who use the association’s service to run errands, be it banking or shopping. Passengers are encouraged to use the service as a way to step out of their homes and go socialise with friends.
“We depart from office at 8am to fetch the first passenger from her or his house and take them to where they need to go. We then go off to ferry the next passenger and return later to pick up the first passenger to take them back home,” explained Zamani as he drove to Old Klang Road to pick up the first passenger for the day, getting caught later on in the traffic enroute to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
With the aid of the hydraulic lift, the passenger is hoisted inside. Once on board the van, Zamani will fasten the belts to secure the wheels of the passenger’s wheelchair to ensure her or his safety.
“This is to prevent our passengers from losing their balance in case we have to apply the emergency brakes. Also, by fastening belts to the wheels, we make sure the wheelchair does not sway left or right during bumpy rides etc. It is always the passengers’ safety and comfort on our minds,” he added.
In the case of passengers who use the conventional wheelchair, extra effort is required to place them atop the hydraulic lift platform.
“Although our hydraulic lift is well secured to ensure passengers’ safety, we nevertheless are always alert to ensure they ascend and descend safely,” Zamani stressed.
Persatuan Mobiliti a boon
Indeed, the passengers certainly regard the transport service as a boon. They are charged a flat rate of RM3 irrespective of the distance travelled. In the last 12 months the association has helped disabled Malaysians make about 4,500 journeys to hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centres and shopping complexes or to visit friends.
For Tham Lup Keng, a wheelchair-user of eight years, the trip from his condominium in Bukit OUG in Old Klang Road to Hospital Kuala Lumpur easily covers a distance of more than 20km, making it about a little over a 40km to-and-fro- trip. If Tham were to call for a taxi, not only would he have to pay a RM2 calling fee but the taxi fare for a one-way trip would certainly be over RM20. However, Tham said no taxis want to ferry wheelchair-users for they see the latter as a hassle.
Asked what he thought of Persatuan Mobiliti’s transport service, Tham replied:
“I find this van service very good.”
After having dropped Tham off at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Zamani made his way to fetch 70-year-old Lee Eng Chong from his house in Batu 5, Jalan Ipoh. Lee had to go to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, (previously known as Universiti Hospital) to collect his supply of medicine. Each time a passenger came on board, Zamani repeated what he did for the previous passenger i.e. lowering the hydraulic lift to the floor level to enable wheelchair-users to wheel their way atop the platform and be lifted inside where safety belts were fastened to prevent the wheelchairs from moving once Zamani hit the road.
The trip from Jalan Ipoh to Hospital Kuala Lumpur was about 15km and in terms of a taxi fare would have cost about RM20.
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