GEORGE TOWN, Feb 19 – Penang has urged the Federal Government not to increase ferry charges. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the announcement over the fare hike was made by the Penang Port Commission (PPC) just one days before the Chinese New Year celebration.
“The new proposed fares are not justified,” he said this during his Chinese New Year open house at the Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition (SPICE) Centre in Relau today. Lim added that the priority should be on improving ferry services instead of increasing its fares.
The PPC released flyers on Tuesday stating its intent to raise fares for ferry services. The flyers were seen pasted at the George Town and Butterworth ferry terminals. News of the fare proposal went viral on social media. The PPC is proposing to review its ferry fares with hikes of 75%. According to the proposal, the motorcycle fare was the highest as below :