Ferry terminal’s reopening a boon for locals
PONTIAN: The reopening of the Kukup International Ferry Terminal is a much anticipated day for many people here, especially taxi drivers and business owners.
For Sukadi Ahmad, 55, who has been operating a food stall in Kukup for over 18 years, the news brought him much joy.
“I have lost at least half of my earnings since the ferry terminal shut down about two months ago.
“I used to be able to get RM300 daily from my stall here, but it shrank to RM150 since the terminal closed,” he said yesterday.
He added that about half of his customers were those boarding the ferry, including Indonesians who arrived from or were going to Karimun Island in Indonesia.
“I am very grateful for the news and I believe this will really help us restore our business,” he said.
Taxi driver Abdul Razak Abd Rahman, 57, said the reopening of the terminal would not only give him and fellow taxi drivers their earnings back, but also restore the area’s liveliness.
“Since the ferry terminal shut down, we have gotten almost nothing every day as we were so dependent on visitors coming from Indonesia to take the taxis here.
“Locals don’t use our service as they have their own transport and tourists normally come on tour buses,” he added.
Since the ferry terminal’s shutdown, fewer than 10 drivers would be on standby as compared to about 100 drivers previously.
Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan candidate Karmaine Sardini said the reopening of the terminal would bring Kukup town back to life.
“Many local traders will benefit greatly as they will get back the customers they had lost.
“The people here are looking forward to this (the reopening) as most of their customers are from Indonesia,” he told reporters during a walkabout in Kukup town.
It was earlier reported that the ferry terminal had stopped operations from Sept 1 when the state government terminated the concession agreement.
Ferry operations have since been moved to the Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in Iskandar Puteri.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal announced last Friday that the Kukup terminal would be fully operational again today.