May the 4th used to be the catchphrase of the Star Wars Day (May, 4th), but today onwards, this catchphrase is now a Malaysian jargon that bears a very different meaning. It is the day when the MCO is partially lifted by allowing most of the businesses to operate under certain conditions set in the Standard of Procedures, as announced by our Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today (May 1st,2020), at 11 am.
How does the SOP affects you when you commute by public transports & e-hailing? I have provided a list of FAQs for your easy understanding.
Taxi & E-Hailing
Can taxi or e-hailing be allowed to operate from May the 4th?
Yes, this is to support workers to travel to and from work but the operating hours would be from 5am until 12 pm with a restriction on passengers on ride starting from 6am ending on 11pm. It would mean that the transport may be allowed to operate for travel but without taking any passengers from 5am to 6am and 11pm until 12am. Operation Hours should be differentiated with Customer/Consumer Presence Hour. Operation hours (OH) referred to the period of time whereby employees may work while customer presence hour (CPH) refers to the period of time whereby the service can be rendered to the customers.
Is there any maximum of passengers per trip?
Yes. Only 2 passengers are allowed during each trip and remember, a passenger is requried to take the back-seat only.
Must I wear a face mask during the ride?
Yes. Both passengers and driver are required to put on their face mask at all times
Rail Transport
What rail transports would be in operation?
All rail transport will be allowed to operate during the operation hours such as KTMB (ETS, ANTARABANDAR & KOMUTER) PRASARANA / RAPIDRAIL (MRT, LRT & MONOREL) ERL (KLIA EKSPRES & KLIA TRANSIT).
What is the operation hours of rail transport?
The OH for rail transport is from 5am to 12am and the CPH is from 6am to 11pm.
Must I wear a face mask during the ride?
Yes. All passengers are required to put on their face masks at all times.
Is there any distance that I should maintain?
You are only required to maintain a distance of 1 meter when you are on the premise of the station but that requirement is not extended during the ride of rail transport. However, it is advisable for you to maintain distance if possible, otherwise, you should sanitize your hands before and after the ride. Refrain from touching your face throughout the ride as your hands are exposed to the handrails and grab poles which may contain droplets that increased the risk of Covid-19 infection.
Am I allowed to travel interstate?
Yes but only restricted to work and also for those who have stranded in other states since the first phase of the lockdown.
How can I minimize contact when taking rail transport?
Our Prime Minister has advised for different working hours to be implemented to minimize passengers during the normal peak hours. All employers shall look into such implementation to provide convenience and to ensure the safety of all employees.
Bus
What is the operation hours of the public buses?
The OH for buses would be from 5am to 12am and the CPH is from 6am to 11pm.
Must I wear a face mask during the ride?
Yes. All passengers are required to put on their face masks at all times.
Is there any distance that I should maintain?
Yes. All passengers shall maintain a distance of at least 1 meter. The distance of passengers will be marked with a sticker on each seat. Hence the passenger capacity of a bus is to be limited to 50% only.
What are the steps to be taken by the operators of the buses to ensure that it is safe?
The SOP obligates all drivers to put on their face mask. All drivers are obligated to go through screening before they are allowed to drive the bus. A regular announcement shall be made on the bus to remind passengers of the social distance and other safety precautions. In addition to that, all passengers must sanitize their hands before and after they got on the bus. Hence a hand sanitizer will be provided in the bus.