Lee (seated, centre) speaks to the press during the DUN session. Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Putrajaya is urged to disburse federal funding to Sarawak for the implementation of the Stage Bus Services Transformation (SBST) programme here next year.
In making this call today, state Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin said Kuching was one of five cities selected for the implementation of SBST programme.
“For this purpose, we are working with Konsortium Bas Bandaraya Kuching Sdn Bhd to implement bus services under the SBST programme for Kuching city.
“We hope that the Federal Ministry of Transport will provide the allocation as requested by the Konsortium Bas Bandaraya Kuching Sdn Bhd to implement bus services under SBST Programme in Kuching next year,” he said in his winding up speech in the State Legislative Assembly.
Lee said the Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association had signed an agreement on October 16, 2019 with the Ministry of Transport, Kuala Lumpur for Interim Stage Bus Support Fund (ISBSF) with the objective of providing funds to support the operation of bus companies operating in the state.
As of today, he said the association had not received any money from the fund and this had adversely affected the operation of bus services in Sarawak.
As such, he requested the Federal Ministry of Transport to expedite the disbursement of fund under SBST programme to Konsortium Bas Bandaraya Kuching Sdn Bhd and ISBSF to the Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association.