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KUALA LUMPUR – The country’s main transportation hubs here have been packed since noon today as voters prepare to travel home in time for polling day this Saturday.
Checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang found that the nine check-in counters were busy handling passengers queuing up since morning for routes to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah); Langkawi and Alor Star (Kedah); Kuching (Sarawak); and Penang.
Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), in a statement, said it will activate its service recovery plan to ease traffic peaks, including the deployment of “MH Ranger” volunteers to support operations at baggage handling centres and check-in counters.
At the same time, MAB also advised passengers returning home for the polls to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure to allow sufficient time for checking-in and the necessary document checks.
“Passengers are also encouraged to check-in via web and mobile applications to speed up the process,” the statement said.
Earlier, MAB said it would increase the number of flights to 44 from 26, and upgrade from 16 to 24 domestic services on A330 aircraft, to ensure smooth and reliable connectivity for voters ahead of the election.
At Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), long queues were seen for bus tickets, with Kota Baru (Kelantan) and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu) the most popular destinations.
TBS senior operations manager Faizal Redza Redzuan said more than 23,000 passengers, including students from higher education institutions, are expected to depart from the terminal in stages from today.
At Kuala Lumpur Sentral station, the entrances for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) and electric train services to various destinations such as Ipoh (Perak), Butterworth (Penang), Padang Besar (Perlis), and Kota Baru (Kelantan) were crowded with travellers.
Several KTMB staff and auxiliary police officers were also deployed at the entrances to ensure the smooth movement of passengers.
Meanwhile, several voters when met said they were keen to return to their hometowns earlier to avoid congestion at transportation hubs.
Jefezieziemiora Jenuil, 21, said she was worried many passengers would check in at KLIA at the same time, so she was always prepared for any possibility.
“This is my first time voting for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat, and of course, I don’t want to miss out like my friends who get the experience of voting for a candidate,” said the native of Kg Sook in Keningau, Sabah.
A student of Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Melaka branch, Muhammad Helmi Emli Faizul, 19, said he was returning to Port Dickson (Negri Sembilan) today with the ticket he bought immediately after the election date was announced on October 10. – Bernama, November 17, 2022