Taiping, Monday 9th January 2006

Disturbed

Netherlands 14:51Malaysia 21:51
0:00 7:00
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17:00 +0:00
18:00 +1:00
19:00 +2:00
20:00 +3:00
21:00 +4:00
22:00 +5:00
23:00 +6:00
The mass rapid transport system of Kuala Lumpur looks like other cities. Well designed, well constructed, but after a few years it wears down. The over organised Netherlands will have a maintenance schedule. That is not the case here. When something breaks down, there will be a way around it.

The ticket vendor machine at station Masjid Jamek is out of order. Nobody cares. Why should you? Just queue up at the counter to buy a ticket.

The automatic gates are designed for passengers with a ticket from the vendor machine. Next to the gates is a big open space, where passengers can just walk through. They show their ticket to the inspector and off they go. Well done, a system, lined up with a working backup system.

At the end of my journey the Asia Jay station also has automatic gates, with again a large open exit on the side. Travelers from Masjid Jamek have spread out, not all of them disembark at Asia Jaya.

So an inspector at arrival does not have a lot to do. And inspectors with little to do, go elsewhere to do nothing. Station Asia Jaya lacks an inspector.

Arriving passengers with machine tickets dutifully exit through the automatic gates. With my manual counter ticket I exit without getting inspected. What am I to do with the ticket?

Creating confusion, I just drop it at the ticket counter. This ticket vendor has little to do, as the machines are working here. The man looks disturbed. What kind of idiot come and gives him a second hand ticket?

Sigh, those Dutch, drop them in Germany or Malaysia and the first thing they do is to disrupt the system.

Till next nut,
Nut