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Penang Ferry suspension: Putrajaya told not to neglect iconic service

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has urged Putrajaya not to treat the iconic 126-year-old Penang Ferry service like "an unwanted child."

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the federal government should not "dump" the transport service to be managed by other agencies.

The service was unexpectedly suspended today, purportedly due to malfunctioning ferries which had not been properly maintained.

"The federal government should have provided sufficient allocation to improve the ferry service under Rapid Ferry for the benefit of the community, as well as the comprehensive transformation of the mode of transportation in parts of the island and Seberang Perai Utara, especially, Butterworth.

"What happened today could have been avoided if special initiatives were carried out by stakeholders for the sake of the ferry's future and economic impact," he said in a statement today.

Ferry services between the island and the mainland and vice-versa were suspended from today until Aug 26 for emergency repair works.

A notice was posted near the entrance to the ferry terminals today, stating that the service was interrupted for the time being due to ferry malfunction.

Auxiliary policemen were also stationed at the terminal to divert passengers to take shuttle buses instead.

Rapid Ferry, which operates the service under Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, prepared free bus shuttles to convey passengers to and from the island with a frequency of 20 minutes.

The Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) has called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the below-par performance of the ferry service.

In a statement, Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Datuk Tan Teck Cheng said he has instructed Rapid Ferry to provide a full report on the incident.

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