My Grey Cells Burning

Exploiting KTMB commuter compartment stop-position to get access (own3d) to any empty seat during peak hours

Well, I discovered this while working with a reputable company which based their core business in FOSS industry in KL and used most of the time public transport in KL after drive from home to the Commuter station nearby (I hate traffic jam.. hate so much).

For those people who are dependent on KTMB commuter train will know how busy it is during the morning when the people want to go to work and coming back home from work. We call that peak hours. And in Malaysia, there will be push and shove among peoples (men and woman) trying to get into the door first beating anyone else to own3d an empty seat, including me.

Well, that make me mad. Especially the first few months after just start to work when the feets starting to get sore from hard leather shoes, sweats running from many parts of my body.. and from others too (yuck!), scared of someone snatching my wallet or opening my bag from the back, peoples bullshit behavior in getting their self-interest fulfilled by any means necessary without regards of any logic of GOOD reasons.. and worst, have to stand up for nearly an hour to reach my destination crowded in stinky passengers.

It's time to get the sleepy grey cell working and bypass all these problem.

Now I found out that the commuter train that are coming from other stations always stop at roughly the same position every time and everyday (Well that condition is true at the KTMB station where I conduct the experiments. I don't know about any other stations but you can try determine it and mark the positions using concepts I will predefined below). Unlike LRTs, KTMB commuter waiting platform does not have any door indicator, makes people does not really know or can guess wrongly on where the train will stop, hence don't know where the door will be located precisely.


Now for the experiments:

1. Choose 1 wagon from the commuter train to experiment with the stop-position of the commuter train, hence the commuter compartment stop-position and after that we can determine where the door precise location.

In my experiment, I always stand under the waiting platform L.E.D display clock and time and destination for the train to arrive and depart and choose the second compartment from behind. The L.E.D clock will indicate the position of where the 2nd-from-behind-compartment for the commuter train will stop. Now I only have to find where the precise location of the door for that chosen compartment will open.


Warning!!
This act will increase your pattern visibility if your image scanned and recorded by any scattered CCTV lying around. But this advise only goes to the paranoid mind. Disguise or change your character in public if you guys paranoid enough, I don't give any damn at all. We're not doing anything illegal here.


2. Determine position of where the door will open to passenger.

To be able to know the location for the door to open, we also need to know that there are two types of compartment being used by KTMB for their commuter services nationwide. I do not know their specific compartments types name rather than using their own door characteristics to remember their types.

i- One types of compartment positioned their door in the middle.
ii- Another types of compartment positioned their door right at each end of the compartment.

Two types of door position will gives two static position of where the door will open, hence two position of the door that can be determine, pinpoint, mark and remembered.

Experiment those 2 step shown above for several days until you had experienced those two types of compartments said above. When you had experienced those 2 types of compartments, hence 2 types of door position, get the feel of it and can roughly estimate the door position every time the commuter stop, then you can continue to the next step.


3. Pinpoint and mark the 2 types of door position.

When you know roughly where the door will be positioned (according to the chosen commuter compartment stop-location position), mark the positions (for 2 types of compartment door from the chosen compartment) using any visible mark readily available on the stone slab i.e. the yellow warning sign on the stone slab, any defect/color/lights on the stone slab or anything else that your mind can use to mark the compartment door position.

In my experiment, for the commuter station where the experiment were conducted, I used the yellow mind-the-gap warning sign for the number ii types door mark and counted 3-4 stone slabs to the right to mark for the number i types door positions.

To get back home from KL Sentral, I used the darkened black color stone slab (the dark color are much intense compared to other black stone slab) for the number ii types door and the-middle-position between that darkened black stone slab and 1 floor lights as mark for number i types door.

As I said, any readily available signs that can be used as pinpoint marks.

Now that you know where the door position itself when the commuter stop, follow the next step shown below.


4. Be the first in the front when the commuter nearly arrives (importantly before anyone else, otherwise the exploit wont work) to the station.

In my experiments, when I saw the train coming from afar, I position myself in the middle between two position marked for the chosen door compartment position as close to the mind-the-gap line as possible before anyone else start position themselves.

when the commuter arrive and the 1st or 2nd compartments from front passed by, you can see and determine which types of door the commuter used by now and quickly positioned yourself to your mark according to what types of compartment the commuter used. I always cross the mind-the-gap lines during this moment and stand near to the commuter compartment wall to block any hijack attempt from any potential rude passenger who think to own3d the empty seat before I do. Well.. you can't. ;o)

And when the commuter stop, you will find yourself right in front of the door that you had predicted earlier, the door open, and you will be the first to own3d an empty seat for yourself.

Note: This exploit will not work if the chosen compartments are already run out of empty seat or if the commuter driver start behaving unpredictably. This is so far the only risk involved with this exploit.

Hey!! I listen to: