Resumption of express bus operations in Sarawak halted, says association

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Sibu Bus Terminal deserted as state Transport Ministry withdraws nod for express buses to resume.

SIBU: The resumption of express bus services, which was supposed to commence yesterday, was cancelled by the state Transport Ministry, said Sarawak Bus Transport Company Association advisor Lau Khing Seng.

He told The Borneo Post that the association was initially told that they could restart their operations on June 1 but a few days before they resumed, the association received a cancellation order from the ministry.

“The plan was to operate on June 1, and we have already made preparations, but then, we received an order that we cannot resume our operation. So, for now, we are still not operating until further notice,” he said.

State Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin, when contacted, said he would comment on the matter after a meeting tomorrow.

Lau said he did not know the reason why the operation was stopped but the association will comply with the government’s instructions.

“I do not know why, maybe we failed to comply with some of the standard operating procedures (SOP) or it could be other reasons. They will give us the information, so we shall wait,” he said.

He also believed that even if operation resumed on June 1, there would be no passengers due to the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) and the Gawai Dayak holiday.

He said they would make losses in their business.

Meanwhile, based on a survey today at the Bus Terminal, most of the bus counters were opened but they only cater to cargo services.

Lau said it was up to the company whether they wanted to open counters for cargo services.