Out-of-service ferry derails travel plans
Published on: Sunday, September 21, 2014
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LABUAN: As school reopens tomorrow (Monday) after a weeklong break, those going back to the island today (Sunday) from mainland Sabah will face the prospect of being stranded due to the 'Kimanis 1' ferry not operating.Already there is a public outcry in Labuan as only two ferries – 'Putrajaya 1' and 'Wawasan Perdana' – are plying the Labuan-Menumbok route. The schedule for Kimanis 1 is not taken over by either of the two ferries, causing many people to have their plans derailed.
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Each of the ferry runs two round trips on Monday and three from Tuesday to Sunday. But during the festive seasons, all the ferries have extra trips.Kimanis 1 was taken out of service for repair and maintenance work since July and was scheduled to restart on Sept 18. But this was completed ahead of schedule and the ferry was in Labuan waters five days ago. But as there was no announcement on that, it caused the public to speculate that the operator Juta Bonus, a Sabah-based company, is heading towards insolvency.However, the owner of the ferry, Jaya Coastal, denied this and said it was undergoing servicing at its Sibu shipyard.
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CEO of Jaya Coastal, Mej (H) David Ling, said this was necessary to maintain the safety standards.Asked on Saturday why the Kimanis 1 was at the Labuan port but the operator's ticketing counter was not open, he was flabbergasted why this was so.
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"Ticketing is the responsibility of Juta Bonus (the operator of Kimanis 1). Without the sale of tickets, the ferry cannot run," Ling said, agreeing it had caused much inconvenience to commuters and commercial users alike. Especially with the school break, the traffic was higher than usual.Jaya Coastal also owns Putrajaya 1 operated by Labuan Mainland Link, whereas Labuan Ferry Corporation owns and operates Wawasan and Warisan ferries.Kimanis 1 began plying on Aug 15, 2012. From the start, it already had hiccups and operating at an office in the upper floor of the Public Bank. But most of the time, the office was closed. Tickets were sold haphazardly, with commuters crowding around the seller in the open air outside the ferry just before departure.Later, it moved to the ro-ro (roll on, roll off) Ferry Terminal Complex behind the Marine Department.Daily Express went to check its ticketing office and found it was closed. However, the staff were working inside the office. No one was willing to give any comments.It could only be concluded that the Juta Bonus office in Kota Kinabalu had not given instruction to sell and issue tickets. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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