‘Deplorable’ ferry conditions: Penang Port upgrading service, terminals for passengers 

GEORGE TOWN – Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) has apologised for the lack of convenience and facilities for passengers using the cross-channel ferry service, saying the current situation is temporary.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan said PPSB is upgrading the ferry services and the terminals while also purchasing new ferries. There will also be an elevator installed, he said.

“What the pedestrians are facing now is just temporary,” he said when contacted following a complaint on the matter. 

The new ferries are scheduled to arrive next year and the upgrading of the two terminals at Weld Quay and Butterworth are ahead of schedule, he added.

Sasedharan said that upon completion, the pedestrians would have a modern facility with enough social amenities for travellers.

Also, PPSB has readied a van to help those who have difficulty walking to reach Penang Sentral in Butterworth faster.

PPSB chief executive officer  was remarking to criticism by Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican who complained of the deplorable condition of the terminals for passengers for the past three decades. 

He said the situation was made worse after the iconic double-decker ferries were discontinued early last year to be replaced by the smaller catamarans presently in use.

Sharing his disappointment with The Vibes, the academician said he wonders if the public has lodged complaints.

“I am not only talking about since DAP took over. I am talking about the (previous) Barisan Nasional government before that. Where are their priorities? Treating those who take the ferry and trains like aliens. This is unacceptable,” he said.

He urged the mayors of the Penang island and Seberang Perai city councils as well as state government officials to commute using the ferries or to take KTM trains to have a feel of his frustration.

“The infrastructure, environment and ambience are utterly terrible. If we observe the connectivity and facilities from ferry to railway, the authorities just don’t care over the last three to four decades. The pedestrians are treated as second-class,” he said.

He pointed out that there is no elevator for those having difficulty walking and every passenger needs to take the stairs to reach from the ferry berthing point to the KTM railway station in Butterworth. – The Vibes, February 4, 2022