It’s no secret that Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) has been receiving praise from locals and foreigners alike for its conveniences and well-maintained facilities, with some going as far as to compare it with airports!
With that being said, another bus terminal in Malaysia, as well as the town’s local council, is now receiving flak for what appears to be their failed attempt at copying TBS’s success.
Netizen, CatsForPalestine, took to their Twitter account to condemn the Kuantan local council after many have found Terminal Kuantan Sentral (TKS), which was opened to the public in 2013, to be in horrible condition despite charging passengers for the use of their facilities.
CatsForPalestine wrote, “(This is) why local council elections are needed. Because the council members who are appointed are among cronies who will create problems like this. Only Kuantan folks know the endless problems with our bus terminal.”
The Pahang Darul Makmur Facebook page also took the time to list down the problems mentioned above. Here is their list:
- Non-functioning escalator makes it difficult for the elderly and the differently-abled to manoeuvre from the platform to the floor upstairs
- The toilets have broken pipes and the floor’s paint is chipping. It’s embarrassing as other bus stations’ toilets have the same rates but are maintained well
- All of the glass partition walls at the platform are dirty. It’s shameful to see when outsiders come to Pahang
- The basement entrance area (to the platform) smells horrible and the drainage there is not maintained
- The male and female suraus are smelly and musty, there isn’t proper ventilation and the fans are not maintained and are dirty
- Eateries closing down
- Disappearing ATM machines
- The only lift (in the building) is non-functional
- The staircase at the west and east wing are both damaged
- Unmanaged, overgrown weeds
Many others have also complained about the cleanliness and smells at the terminal as well as the broken tiles and uneven floors.
What baffles people the most is the fact that the bus station also charges passengers RM1.70 (RM0.50 as a facility charge and RM1.00 as a handling fee) when they are required to print out their tickets to board their buses. The toilets also have a separate entrance fee of RM0.50.
After this incident had gone viral, State Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman, Sim Chon Siang, visited the bus station and vowed to help make improvements to solve the aforementioned problems.
Considering that the bus station is the first thing tourists see when arriving in Kuantan (unless they’re taking a flight), it’s important that the bus station leaves a good first impression.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: DBKL Calls Out M’sians for Having Third-World Mentality After Trashing KL on NYE
