Self-reported likely behaviour of rail passengers during an emergency evacuation-A case study of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

Prior knowledge on how passengers behave during a potential emergency evacuation could be advantageous in designing efficient crowd management and emergency procedures. This study examines the likely behaviours of Malaysian passengers during a potential future emergency evacuation situation. Four key behaviours, i.e., reactive, proactive, cooperative and competitive behaviours, were considered. A questionnaire survey was conducted at one major rail transit terminal in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to collect the data. All 301 questionnaire responses displayed non-uniformity in their likely behaviour. Results explained that the passengers are more likely to be proactive (e.g., move to exit immediately as soon as the warning siren is sounded) than reactive (e.g., go to assembly point after being instructed) during the pre-evacuation. Further, people are more likely to be cooperative (e.g., help other people who may have difficulties in getting out) than competitive (e.g., push or shove other peoples to get out quickly) during the evacuation. In terms of demographic influences on behaviours, results demonstrated that there could be significant differences in certain behaviours between males and females and between different age groups. The findings of this study provide valuable information for developing models for simulating passengers' evacuation at rail transit terminals. Further, the managers of emergency response could utilize such data and outcomes in devising effective crowd management strategies and developing appropriate training and educational campaigns.