By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Sept 1: The Ministry of Transport Sarawak will convene a meeting with major public bus operators to coordinate the planning of Kuching city’s bus stop network, ensuring the facilities serve the needs of public transport as a whole rather than individual services, said Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng.
Wee said the coordinated approach was necessary as several public bus services are currently operating in Kuching, including the Madani service, hydrogen buses and BusAsia.
He said bus stops fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport Sarawak and should be planned as common facilities that can be used by all public transport operators.
“All the operators must come together. Bus stops are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport.
“You cannot just stand in one place saying this one needs a bus stop, that one needs a bus stop, because a common bus stop should be used by all public transport, or else the whole Kuching city will be full of bus stops,” he said in responding to criticism from the opposition.
Speaking to reporters at MBKS headquarters today, Wee said the ministry would bring all relevant stakeholders together to identify a standardised bus stop design and plan the facilities according to the routes covered by the operators.
He said this would also allow the authorities to assess existing bus stops that require upgrading, rebuilding or relocation, as well as identify suitable locations for new facilities.
Wee stressed that operators should submit the routes they are operating as part of the planning process, rather than independently identifying locations for bus stops based solely on their individual services.
He also said there should be clear guidelines and regulations governing the construction and use of public bus stops, including their design and any advertising activities.
“We cannot just give the right to you to build your own bus stop and then you collect advertisement. There must be some guidance and there must be some law that is guided by building public bus stops,” he said.
Wee said having separate bus stops for every operator would be impractical and could result in an unnecessarily large number of facilities across the city.
He added that a standardised and integrated network would allow bus stops to better serve passengers regardless of which public transport service they used.
Wee said he had spoken to Sarawak Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, who indicated that the ministry would coordinate discussions with the operators and other stakeholders to resolve the issue.
“It is not necessary to politicise the issue or create drama over it,” he said. — DayakDaily
