Safer ride: Tan (right) observing a sanitisation exercise on a fast boat at the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal in Butterworth.
BUTTERWORTH: The new passenger ferry service from here to the island continues to run smoothly, even though it saw a drop in passengers due to the movement control order, says Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng.
The new service, he said, still made 54 trips daily.
“The human traffic flow has not gone down much during peak hours. In the mornings, we noticed that the passenger count only went down by 30%.
“Throughout the day, though, it did go down by 60%. We will monitor the passenger flow before deciding if we should reduce service frequencies, ” he said at Penang Sentral yesterday.
Friday, 08 Jan 2021 01:00 PM MYT
BY OPALYN MOK
State exco Zairil Khir Johari says the Penang state government is prepared to take over possession of the iconic ferries if Penang Port Commission is willing to gift the vessels to the state. ― Picture by Sayuti Zainudin
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GEORGE TOWN, Jan 8 ― The Penang state government is prepared to take over possession of the iconic ferries if Penang Port Commission (PPC) is willing to gift the vessels to the state, said state exco Zairil Khir Johari.
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman said the state government wants to keep the 45-year-old vessels, that have long been a symbol of Penang, from being turned into scrap metal.
BUTTERWORTH: A sense of excitement filled the decks of Penang’s fast boat ferries on New Year’s Day.
Commuters turned up at dawn to catch the first ferry to the island at the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal here.
Businessman Chai Shyan Jaw, 49, was among the earliest, who arrived at 5.45am at the terminal beside Penang Sentral.
“Since today is my day off, I decided to kickstart the new year by trying out the new ferries.
“They’re much safer and quicker than the former ferries, which I took regularly in the past.
“I can now conveniently cross over to the island for a delicious breakfast and some sightseeing and return right after, ” said Chai, who took dozens of photos and videos throughout the short journey yesterday.
Friday, 01 Jan 2021 01:11 PM MYT
BY OPALYN MOK
Penang Port Commission Datuk Tan Teik Cheng (right) greeting passengers alighting from the fast boat at Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal, January 1, 2020. ― Picture by Opalyn Mok
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GEORGE TOWN, Jan 1 ― The Penang Port Commission (PPC) predicts as many as 10,000 passengers will ride on its new fast boats across the Penang channel on its first day of operations today.
About 2,000 passengers had been recorded boarding the boats in the first four-and-a-half hours since the fleet rolled out, Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng said.