Bus consortium waiting for PM’s Dept to reveal signing date
KUCHING: Konsortium BBK Sdn Bhd ( KBBK), which is expected to sign an agreement with Putrajaya this month, is anxious to launch the Stage Bus Service Transformation ( SBST) project in Kuching and Samarahan divisions.
Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association (SBTCA) honorary secretary William Chan said the consortium, which is made up of five companies, is still waiting for the Prime Minister’s Department to announce the signing date.
The five companies are 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 are anxious to get started as everything has been ready to go for a long time now. We are excited to bring the new bus system that can help to ease traffic congestion for Kuching citizens, and make this city a better place for all.
“Everything is ready; we are still waiting for them ( Putrajaya) to announce the signing date,” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.
Last Feb 3, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dato Sri Nancy Shukri announced that the consortium was expected to sign the agreement with Putrajaya in April.
However, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said on April 6 the agreement would be signed only this month.
According to Chan, all parties including the state government and the federal government are working towards making the project happen.
However, he urged the relevant government agencies to speed up the administrative process to launch the project sooner for the people of this city.
“Not forgetting that after the signing of the agreement, we still need time to construct the buses.”
He said the last two meetings between the consortium and the Prime Minister’s Department last month had attended to details necessary to pave way for the project launch.
“The SBST project is ready to be implemented and will be part of the solution to ease traffic congestion. Please give us, the local transport experts, a chance to help bring a sustainable and feasible solution to our city.”
Responding to a question, Chan said there was no sign that the government might decide to call off the project and insisted that the consortium was waiting to be informed of the signing date.
The SBST project is to cover from the city south to Kuching Sentral and Samarahan, north to Damai, Bako, Samariang and Kubah Ria, east to Demak Laut and west to Batu Kawa town, with a total travel length of more than 27,000km a day.
Meanwhile, a source revealed that a traffic study which was conducted in 2008, projected the waiting time to reach 15 minutes per traffic junction by 2020.
The same study anticipated that the waiting time per traffic junction would be five minutes in 2014, and increase to 10 minutes per traffic junction this year.
“The waiting time is forecast to reach 15 minutes per traffic light in 2020 based on the trend of increase in car population.”
The source added that the study was done by the then Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism back when Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg was the minister-incharge.
We are anxious to get started as everything has been ready to go for a long time now. We are excited to bring the new bus system that can help to ease traffic congestion for Kuching citizens, and make this city a better place for all.
William Chan, Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association (SBTCA) honorary secretary