KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 — The Mystery Shopper Program (MSP) that allows public transport users to give their suggestions to Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) was rolled out today as an attempt to improve the country's bus and rail services.

The programme was done as an extension of the Readiness and Standby Audit Committee (AKSES), a self-audit by train station managers focusing on different factors such as cleanliness, ease of access, lighting, facilities, signage, and conditions of lifts and escalators.

"The main purpose of this initiative is to get transparent views from passengers while using Rapid KL services.

"The main direction of the government in terms of nurturing a people-friendly transport is to facilitate, highlight and implement a well-planned, safe, responsive, efficient, and sustainable land public transport system.

"To achieve such objectives, user experience is an aspect that we have to emphasise. This will also be the catalyst that will make public transportation the main choice of the people,” Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said today during a media conference, adding that feedback from passengers is crucial if the goal is to improve user experience.

Wee said the first AKSES audit conducted in August showed that 74 per cent of train stations were considered in good condition, with an average score of 2.82 out of 3.

The new programmes launched will be implemented in 147 train stations and ten bus hubs nationwide.

Wee said that there are no criteria as to who can apply to be a Mystery Shopper panelist, however, individuals are selected on a random basis.

The PULSE app currently has 172,813 downloads, 138,005 registrations, and 52,924 active users within the last 30 days.

Those interested in being a Mystery Shopper for the programme can download the PULSE application on Google Play or the App Store.

Over the past several months, there have been several train mishaps including leaving commuters stranded, waiting in queues that are longer than usual, and false emergency breaks.