KUALA LUMPUR: Kuching folks will soon enjoy better bus services early next year under the Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) programme.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the SBST, which was introduced by Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and funded by the government, had been delayed due to technical problems.
The SBST, which would provide a more efficient and systematic bus system, was supposed to commence this year.
"Discussions have been finalised and we are pleased to announce to the people of Kuching that the SBST will be signed next week.
"I will witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Sarawak government and the Federal government next week," she said in reply to a supplementary question from Rubiah Wang (BN-Kota Samarahan) during the oral question session in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.
The SBST in Kuching is a joint effort between Putrajaya and Konsortium BBK Sdn Bhd (KBBK).
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.
Under the project, brand new buses which are environment-friendly, disabled-friendly and equipped with a range of features such as electronic ‘touch-n-go’ ticketing system, WiFi, GPS (global positioning system) tracking, journey tracking app, and closed circuit television (CCTV), would improve passengers’ commuting.
The SBST in Kuching would cover about 500km, consisting of 15 trunk routes and 12 feeder routes with 130 new buses.
The bus frequency would range from 15 minutes to an hour’s interval, depending on the route.
In reply to another question from Sim Tze Tsin (PKR-Bayan Baru), Nancy affirmed the government's commitment to implementing SBST in all state capital cities.
She said the SBST is still in the process of being studied and will be implemented in stages in several state capital cities namely Kangar, Ipoh and Seremban.
At the same time, six pilot tests are being conducted which involves all capital cities across the country.
"We are evaluating the routes based on existing services in a particular area.
"We do not want to go in without due consideration and end up interfering the local bus operators," she said.-- Reporting by By ARFA YUNUS, BEATRICE NITA JAY and FERNANDO FONG