The Stage Bus Service Transformation project needs to be finalised by the government in order for it to take off. File Photo
Local companies waiting for signing of agreement to upgrade service with new fleet of buses
KUCHING: Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association (SBTCA) is hoping that the government will expedite the finalisation of an agreement to launch the Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) project in Kuching and Samarahan.
Honorary secretary of SBTCA William Chan said he was aware that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dato Sri Nancy Shukri had earlier announced that the agreement between Putrajaya and a consortium here could be sealed next month.
He said the consortium, called Konsortium BBK Sdn Bhd (KBBK), was ready for the project but would not be able to proceed with the next step without the agreement.
“We are ready anytime. We hope the government can expedite (the signing) as Kuching has been waiting too long for this project. She (Nancy) targeted signing in April, we hope the latest by end of the month.
“If the agreement is signed now, people in Kuching will see the new bus system this time next year,” he said when contacted here yesterday.
Chan said the consortium is made up of five companies; namely Bau Transport Company Sdn Bhd, Biaramas Express Sdn Bhd, City Public Link Bus Service Sdn Bhd, Petra Jaya Transport (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Transport Company Bhd, all members of SBTCA.
“We did meet with the government to finalise the arrangement. The consortium is ready to implement the SBST project in Kuching anytime. We are just waiting for the government to give the green light.”
He added that the meeting with the Prime Minister’s Department took place right after the Lunar New Year holidays.
As far as the consortium is concerned, he said the recent meeting had ironed out most of the issues with regard to the project and ‘we are waiting for the final say’.
According to Chan, the five bus companies need time to ‘construct the buses’ after the signing of the agreement.
Asked to elaborate on ‘construct the buses’, he said this would include purchasing completely new bus fleets equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
He said the brand new buses would be environment-friendly, OKU (physically challenged) friendly besides having electronic ticketing system with ‘touch-n-go’ card compliance, on-board WiFi, GPS (global positioning system) tracking, free journey/tracking app for public and CCTV on board for security.
To a question, he said the government had spent more than one year doing the study before finalising the routes for the consortium.
“The route is decided entirely by the relevant authorities in the government. We cannot give too much detail on the routes until after the signing.”
When pressed for more details, Chan said: “The board stroke: 15 trunk routes and 12 feeder routes. Total travel length is more than 27,000km a day.”
He added that all major points of interest would be covered, which include Central Business District (CBD) area, major shopping malls such as tHe Spring, Boulevard and VivaCity, Damai, Kuching International Airport, Kuching Sentral up to Summer Mall in Samarahan.
On CBD, he said it refers to downtown areas like Electra House, Hilton Hotel and Kuching Waterfront.
“The coverage is quite comprehensive. South to Kuching Sentral and Samarahan, North to Damai, Bako, Samariang and Kubah Ria, East to Demak Laut and West to Batu Kawa town.
“We are grateful for the assistance the state and federal authorities have rendered to us on this project. We hope the process can be expedited as it has been a long journey to get here but by no means are we blaming the government for the delay,” added Chan.
On Feb 3, Nancy announced that a consortium was expected to sign an agreement with the Prime Minister’s Department in April to launch the SBST project in Kuching and Samarahan.
“The federal cabinet has approved RM114 million for SBST in six cities throughout the country including Seremban, Kuching, Samarahan and Johor Baharu.
“We start with cities first and will gradually spread out to cover more areas. For areas that are yet to be covered, we can use the Interim Stage Bus Support Fund (ISBSF),” she told a news conference after chairing a Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP) Sarawak meeting.