That is hiring actors to pretend to be zombies, turning the platform and a normal train into the setting of a horror movie to attract young passengers to experience and thereby change their perception of public transport.
Accordingly, last month, the light rail operator - PT LRT Jakarta in the capital city of Jakarta, Indonesia, and event organizer Pandora Box carried out the Apocalypse Train program. PT LRT Jakarta decorated a train station and a train with the theme of the apocalypse when zombies rise. They also prepared a cast of actors dressed in zombie costumes to scare passengers into running onto the train.
On the train, there is an actor playing a reporter reporting on the outbreak of the Pandora virus - a fictional virus often appearing in movies that can turn anyone infected with the virus into a zombie. In addition, there is also the appearance of an actor playing a soldier holding a fake gun fighting zombies to rescue passengers.
There is a sign on the train station that reads - “Danger, Zombie Warning!” while the red warning light flashes continuously.
Genesis Christi, 17, a young passenger who came to the station to experience the horror, shared: "Although it wasn't real zombies chasing us, everyone was still very scared."
Actors impersonating zombies.
Sharing about the purpose of implementing the program, Mr. Billy Junior, CEO of Pandora Box, said that this company and PT LRT Jakarta want to bring public transport closer to young people, giving them many interesting things to switch to using this type of transport, instead of using personal vehicles which leads to congestion and environmental pollution.
Tickets for the Apocalypse Train cost 60,000-70,000 rupiah ($4-$4.7). The operator promises that the 20-minute train ride will not affect passengers' normal commute. If passengers do not take the train, they can still go to the station to watch the performers perform, completely free of charge.
The program ended on September 11 and there is no concrete assessment of its effectiveness. With a population of 30 million, Jakarta is one of the most congested cities in the world.
The city began operating its light rail system in December 2019. Despite the low fares, transport experts said at the time that local authorities needed to do more to attract people to switch from personal vehicles to public transport.
