KUCHING: The introduction of the BAS.MY Kuching stage bus service will improve public transport and reduce congestion in the city, says State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
He said the service, under the federal Transport Ministry's Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) programme, commenced with six buses plying the first route from the Open Air Market here to Serian.
"Altogether, 56 buses under the SBST will cover 10 routes in Kuching.
"Ten buses have arrived, with four not operational yet. Another 26 buses will come by the end of March and 20 more by the end of April," he said at the commencement of the service on Wednesday (March 5).
Lee said the buses were disabled-friendly and equipped with CCTV and a GPS tracking system.
"With these new buses, we hope more people will use public transport.
"This will help to reduce traffic congestion in the city," he said.
Lee also said his ministry was working closely with the federal Transport Ministry and state Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) to ensure the smooth implementation of the SBST programme to modernise and transform public bus services.
"We hope this project can be extended to other parts of Sarawak as well," he added.
State CVLB chairman Michael Kong said the Open Air Market-Serian route would connect vital locations such as the Sarawak General Hospital, The Spring mall, Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, Vivacity Megamall, Emart Tabuan Jaya, Sarawak Heart Centre and University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
"Currently, the buses on this route are scheduled to operate every 60 minutes, but we will closely monitor ridership and adjust the frequency as needed to ensure better convenience for passengers," he said.
Kong said the BAS.MY service would eventually operate across 10 routes, covering areas such as downtown Kuching, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawa, Muara Tebas, Taman Malihah and Bako.
He said the buses were equipped with electronic ticketing machines for debit or credit card payment and cash boxes.
To encourage higher ridership, he said a monthly concession pass for RM50 was available for unlimited rides on all BAS.MY services.
Students, persons with disabilities and senior citizens can travel for free by applying for a concession card.
"As we roll out this project, Sarawak CVLB will ensure strict compliance from the operator in meeting service standards, on-time performance and frequency requirements as stipulated in our contract," Kong said.
He urged city folk to embrace public transport as a practical and sustainable means of travel.
"By doing so, we can work together to ease traffic congestion and build a more connected and efficient city for all," he added.
