HPP will be completely free for the first three months for the first 50,000 users who successfully apply. Applications will need to be submitted through Rapid KL’s PULSE mobile app and will open starting on 16 June, the same day as the opening of the first phase of the MRT Putrajaya Line. Under AIG’s Hospital Protection Plan, passengers will receive up to RM50 in daily cash allowance for up to 14 days when hospitalised. “This policy not only protects them when using public transport operated by Rapid KL but at any time they are infected with the listed diseases,” said Prasarana president and group CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah. The diseases covered under the HPP include hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever, avian flu, ebola, tuberculosis, measles, viral encephalitis (Nipah and Japanese), malaria, plague, rabies, and COVID-19. The initiative hopes to encourage more people to use public transport such as the LRT and MRT as the country transitions to an endemic phase of the coronavirus.
Rapid KL also launched the Rail Ambassador programme that deployed over 1,200 trained personnel to assist passengers on using the city’s public transport system. Donning “ASK ME” sashes and hats, the ambassadors will be stationed at all 149 rail stations and bus hubs within the next seven months. The company has also rolled out other initiatives to encourage and ease public transport adoption, including the ability to purchase the My50 monthly pass online using BonusLink. It also launched the “Bus Skip Stop Xpress” route for daily commuters to travel for work to Ampang Park and KLCC with more convenience. (Sources: Rapid KL, BFM/Twitter, The Malaysian Reserve)
