THE station on the Express Rail Link (ERL) in Salak Tinggi, Sepang, is about 40 minutes’ drive from Seremban. It serves the KLIA Transit ERL from KLIA/KLIA2 to KL Sentral. A park-and-ride facility to integrate the public transport system with private car use is available at the station.
There are three designated open-air car parks for the public at the station. Two of them charge RM1 for a day’s parking, and these car parks do not have proper lots but are located on an open field within an enclosed area. The cars are usually parked rather haphazardly but there is some sort of order in the parking so that no car is in the way of another.
The other car park, which charges RM3 for a day, has clearly marked bays.
All three car parks have booths at the entrance manned by attendants. But they do not have poles or bars at the entrance, and cars can come in and out at any time of the day.
The attendants are in the booths from 8am to 8pm.
Recently, I parked at the RM3 car park at 6am and found no one around.
When I enquired at the ERL station, I was told to leave my car there without a ticket and pay to the parking attendant upon my return.
Four days later when I returned and explained to the attendant, he trusted me and wrote out a receipt for RM12 for four days of parking.
If I had arrived after 8pm there would be no one at the booth and I would have driven off without making any payment.
I hope the car parks at the Salak Tinggi ERL station are better managed, maintained and run more professionally to ensure the safety and security of the vehicles left there.
Anyone can just drive in and out after 8pm when the parking attendants have left the booths.
Maybe autogates like those in shopping complexes can be installed at the car parks. Drivers can then pay their tickets via machines or at the ERL station counter.
This has to be looked into seriously so that the park-and-ride facility at the Salak Tinggi ERL station is safe and secure for car drivers.
There are a few hundred vehicles parked at the three car parks at the station daily.
A new multi-level car park, said to charge drivers by the hour, is set to open at the station. Hopefully, the charges are affordable.
The Salak Tinggi ERL Station is just nine minutes away from KLIA and it costs RM4.90 for a one-way trip between these two points, with a 50% discount for senior citizens (above 55 years). It is the most convenient and cheap option for travellers to park and ride, and get to the airport and back without a hassle.
SAMUEL YESUIAH
Seremban
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