Prasarana officer gives up personal phone number to hear out LRT victims

An officer from Prasarana Malaysia Bhd decided to give up her personal phone number to allow victims of the recent LRT collision to contact her directly, in a crisis management move that has earned praise, a far cry from the public outrage over the conduct of the company chairman.

Rafizah Amran, Prasarana’s deputy chief communications and marketing officer, said the company was aware of the losses suffered by passengers affected by the accident on Monday night which left 213 people injured, more than 40 critically.

“And yes, passengers involved have the right to use legal means to get additional damages and so on. We will assist and we have come forward openly.

“That is why we have a crisis hotline just for them. That phone? That’s my personal number and phone that I gave up to use to communicate directly with them so that we can manage this in a sensitive and respectful manner,” she wrote in her LinkedIn page, earning praise from the public.

The accident saw two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line colliding in the tunnel area between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations in Kuala Lumpur.

One had been carrying passengers while the other, which was empty, was being test-driven.

Rafizah’s move contrasts with the conduct of Prasarana’s chairman Tajuddin Abdul Rahman during a press conference to announce measures to support victims of the LRT collision.

Yesterday, the finance ministry which owns Prasarana sacked Tajuddin with immediate effect, following anger over insensitive remarks about the incident.

Meanwhile, in her post, Rafizah acknowledged the intense social media debate in the aftermath the LRT collision, saying everyone has the right to speak up.

“We also respect how they want to express it. I have always reiterated that we take brickbats. Working in public transport, this is a given.”

However, she urged members of the public to stop speculating and sharing fake news on the situation.

She said many fake photos and videos had been circulated, claiming a lack of social distancing on trains, among others.

She said most, if not all of the photos and videos were from 2020 after the economy reopened and 100% passenger capacity was allowed.

Rafizah said the company’s ops team takes photos to monitor the situation each day during peak hour period.

“Sometimes we have more passengers, sometimes we have less. A four-car train fits 800 pax, so 50% capacity is 400 pax.”

“We have critical patients in hospital. If you have nothing good at all to say about RapidKL or the PR team, please spare some thought and show kindness to the patients and passengers involved and their loved ones.

“That’s our priority right now.”