Express boats booked solid for Gawai Dayak
KAPIT: Express boats here have been fully booked as travellers return for the Gawai Dayak celebration.
An express boat operator at Kapit Terminal, who did not wish to be named, said the number of passengers from Sibu to Kapit have increased steadily since last Friday.
He said routes from Monday until yesterday had the most passengers, with all trips fully booked a week ago.
However, he said there should be no issue of passengers failing to get tickets as many extra services had been added for the Sibu- Song and Sibu-Kapit routes.
According to him, fares for the extra services are RM5 more with tickets priced at RM30 for economy, RM35 for business, and RM 40 for first class.
“The reason is because the boats from Sibu to Kapit are full but they return empty boats. The RM5 extra is to cover the fuel price. For an average return trip, the fuel consumption is RM2,000 depending on the boat size,” he said.
The Sarawak Rivers Board has deployed 27 enforcement staff and two riverine patrol boats to conduct random checks on express and passenger boats at the Kapit Terminal, Kapit- Belaga Wharf, Nanga Mujong, Baleh, Song Terminal, and Belaga Wharf.
Apart from express boats, several hundred four- wheel drive vehicles are expected to travel by road from Sibu to Kapit for the festival although the Kapit- Song- Kanowit road is still under various stages of construction.