Penang government to continue free high-speed ferry for Malaysians until June 30

GEORGE TOWN: The Butterworth-George Town high speed ferry service will continue until June 30, says Penang infrastructure and transport committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.

He said that the financing of the fares of pedestrians involves an allocation of RM78,000 per month for a total of 65,000 tickets per month.

“The total allocation is estimated at RM468,000 for the six-month period in 2023.

Along with the extension of the Mutiara Pass funding by the state government, the state government has decided to continue sponsoring the free ferry programme for six months next year from January 1 to June 30, 2023." he said,

Zairil said in a statement on Saturday (Dec 31) that this means the Penang public transport network is free for all Malaysian citizens.

Zairil added that the programme that began on July 1, 2021 has received a warm response from Penangites as figures show increasing ridership, especially after the country entered the endemic phase of Covid-19.

“With this, passengers who are Malaysian citizens can enjoy the Penang ferry service free of charge," he said.

“Passengers only need to bring their MyKad to register in advance at the ticket counter and tap on the MyKad scanner provided by Penang Port Sdn Bhd before boarding the ferry,” added Zairil.

He then said that he hopes this will reduce the travel costs of Penang residents who use public transport to commute.

Earlier, Zairil announced that the state’s Mutiara Pass would continue in 2023, allowing users to enjoy unlimited travel on Rapid Penang buses.

He also said that the free bus service between George Town and Bukit Mertajam will begin on Jan 1.

The service is provided by the state government to link those travelling from the Bukit Mertajam bus terminal to Komtar and vice versa and is known as the Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) Bridge service.