KUCHING: Housing and Urban Development Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said people here would not go for pirate taxis and vans if it was not for the poor public transportation in the city.Speaking to the media at a press conference held after the launching ceremony of Rapid Kuching yesterday, Abang Johari said the llegal operators were making money and only became the preferred choice because the public transportation system now was extremely unreliable and inefficient.
Asked if the pirate taxis would pose a threat to Rapid Kuching, he said: “At the moment, the public has to find other alternatives. The most important factor for commuters is that as long as they could get from point A to point B in a faster manner, it doesn’t matter what mode they take. That is the main purpose of public transport.
“Since we can’t give them good service, we can’t blame the people. The buses now are in such bad condition that most people are in fact scared to board them. That’s why we need to improve the system.”
Abang Johari went on to say that the market for public transportation would always be available because it offered an easier and cheaper transportation alternative.
He said those using public transport did not have to worry about parking, traffic congestion and even fuel consumption. “If the public transport service is in good condition, people would not go for the illegal option. The public would take the legal alternatives where they will be insured when on board. The buses obviously would charge a much cheaper fare than the pirate service,” he said.
Abang Johari said Rapid Kuching had to start on a small scale just to test the market. Further research would be conducted on the progress of the service.
Stating that the cost of running the service was very high, Abang Johari continued: “The company has spent lots of money to provide the service and it needs government support. We will try our best in assisting the remaining operators.”
“In addition to our five-year plan of creating an efficient public transport system and research on the smartcard, the government will invest to improve the service and the infrastructure. Maybe we can start with the private lane for the buses for instant,” he added.