THE government will retain the loss-making Penang ferry service and see to its improvement, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said today.

He said the ministry was looking at how the iconic service could be improved and studying its operation and model.

“We are aware that the ferry requires high cost to run, while the fares are low and collected one way. But the service must be continued,” he told a press conference at Penang Sentral.

It had been reported that since 1985, the year the Penang Bridge was open to traffic, each ferry operated at a loss of at least RM700 for every trip it makes across the Penang channel.

Currently, only passengers taking the ferries from Butterworth on the mainland to the island are charged fares – RM7.70 for cars, RM2 for motorcycles, RM1.20 for adult pedestrians, and 60 sen for children (age 5 to 12) and students in uniform. Disabled persons take the ferry for free.

Previously operated by Penang Port, the ferry service was taken over by government entity Prasarana on May 1 this year and rebranded Rapid Ferry. Only six ferries, which carry both pedestrian and vehicle passengers, are still running.

Earlier last month, Loke told the Dewan Rakyat that Prasarana would spend RM90 million to improve the ferry service, with RM21 million to buy the passenger-only ferries in 2018 and 2019. 

Prasarana would also repair the existing six ferries starting from this year, adding it would cost about RM13.7 million.

Before the press conference, Loke took the ferry from Penang island to Butterworth, where he visited the soon-to-open Penang Sentral transport hub that integrates rail, ferry, bus and taxi services. 

It was his first time on the ferry, he told reporters.

“The ferry is also integrated with Penang Sentral. 

“For example, if I take the ETS (electric train service) from Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth, the train will stop at Penang Sentral. I can access the ferry terminal from Penang Sentral to get to the island,” Loke said.

He also said there had been many proposals for water taxis and catamarans to ferry people across the channel but no final decision had been made on the matter.

“We want to focus on improving the existing service first. 

“We also have not received any proposals from private companies regarding the ferry service,” he said on whether the government had thought of privatising the service.

Meanwhile, Loke said the ministry planned to increase the number of ETS trains as the service had become more popular, especially for trips to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Butterworth.

“We want to add the capacity. We have ordered nine sets, which should be ready by year-end. We now have 15.” – September 6, 2018.