KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has been issuing licences to bus drivers in Sabah without limitation and without taking into account the capacity of bus terminals in the respective areas.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan-BN) said problems such as over-congestion have arisen at the bus terminals, as agencies under the public transport sector are not cooperating and coordinating with one another.
Worse, it was found that there are currently 15 government agencies involved in the public transportation sector with overlapping roles and authority, he said.
“There are so many agencies that even I get confused. We have to coordinate and synchronise these agencies,” he said.
Bung Moktar, who is also state works minister, said this in reply to Phoong Jin Zhe (Luyang-DAP) who questioned the Sabah government’s action in resolving the poor public transportation system in the state capital, causing citizens here to be rated the country’s second unhappiest population according to the Happiness Index Study 2021.
The 15 agencies that Bung Moktar mentioned, among others, are Sabah CVLB, Road Transport Department, and the Tourism, Art and Culture Ministry (for licensing and permits); Sabah Works Ministry, Sabah Works Department, and Sabah Train Department (for infrastructure).
The Sabah Local Government and Housing Ministry, Sabah Town and Regional Planning Department, State Economic Planning Unit, Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority, Kota Kinabalu City Hall and other local authorities are also all involved in public transport planning and management.
Bung Moktar said that in order to create a centralised authority and system for matters relating to public transportation, it is important to set up a public transportation agencies centre in Sabah.
He said he has submitted the proposal to form the centre to the state cabinet.
“The centre will act to be the source of authority with clear enactment, and capable of planning and implementing the government’s initiatives to improve the public transportation system in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
Bung Moktar also said that Kota Kinabalu’s roads are congested because of the attitude of the local drivers, especially those who like to drive slowly in the fast lane.
He said the state works ministry after a thorough study on problems in the public transportation system in Sabah has come up with 17 solutions, including combining all bus operators into a single or several companies, and the same goes for taxi operators.
Another solution is to provide a compulsory training programme for bus and taxi drivers, and for all public transportations to provide cashless transaction options.
He also assured the assembly that the proposal to have a sky train in Kota Kinabalu will soon be realised. – The Vibes, July 20, 2022
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