SARAWAK DAP assemblyman Violet Yong has raised concern over the sum of nearly RM2.5 billion that is being spent to prepare the groundwork for the first Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) hydrogen bus in Kuching city.
The Pending assemblyman wants the Sarawak government to give a detailed breakdown of the project’s high costs.
Raising this in her winding up speech in the state assembly today, Yong said the people want to know the justification for spending such a huge amount while the ART bus has yet to start operating for the public.
“A sum of RM1.873 billion is being spent for groundworks for the Kuching Urban Transportation System that will accommodate the ART vehicle.
“Another RM568.61 million contract has been awarded for the construction of the ART Blue Line route.
“The state government must provide a detailed breakdown of these huge sums of money being spent. And this is just the start of the project and the state is ordering 38 of these ART vehicles,” she said.
State Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin in his reply said Yong is ignorant of how much is needed to carry out the ART project.
Without giving any breakdown of the costs, he said the ART project is an international-quality transport system.
“Constructing the ART system and buying the ART vehicles required international tenders, and implementation of the best practices for specially designed routes for the ART vehicles.
“This project is not like buying a car or groceries,” he said.
Lee, who is state assemblyman for Senadin, said the money is being spent to ensure the “best delivery system for the ART vehicles”.
The ART bus is undergoing test-runs in Kuching now with a view to begin public operation in 2025.
The vehicle was manufactured in China.
The ART project is the first such public transport project in Sarawak where hydrogen is used to power the bus instead of fossil fuel. – The Vibes, November 28, 2023.
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