KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The Automated Rapid Transit (ART) trialled in Putrajaya was not fully accessible to wheelchair users as this needed the station platform to be made level with the trackless trams, said operator Mobilus Sdn Bhd.

Mobilus chief operating officer Ramlan Zainol Abidin said the permanent modifications could not be done in time for the pilot, but would be implemented in the event of a full launch.

"We have engaged with various special needs groups from the blind society and PwD in the past to better understand their needs and incorporate them into our design.

"But for Putrajaya’s trial, we were given a short notice to conduct the pilot project and were unable to make the necessary infrastructural amendments,” he told Malay Mail during an interview.

Last month, the Damai Disabled Person Association Malaysia conducted an informal audit of the ART service and found it lacking in accessibility for wheelchair users.

Rather than using a ramp or hydraulic lift as fitted on Rapid buses, the wheelchair users had to be carried aboard the ART by three Mobilus employees present during the audit.

The group’s members said the arrangement was not sustainable and not how people with disabilities would like to be assisted.

Ramlan acknowledged that the arrangement was a compromise, but said the feedback would still serve the project’s primary goal.

"The trial was mostly aimed at gathering data about the tram’s behaviour on Putrajaya’s roads.”

The trial was conducted in collaboration with Perbadanan Putrajaya and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research and was supported by the Transport Ministry.

The tram made its debut in Putrajaya in February this year, and was brought back again for a second trial round until July 31.