New terminal not big enough

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THE new Rawang bus and taxi terminal is ready but residents and bus operators say it is not big enough to cater to the large number of buses and taxis plying the area.

The terminal built in Rawang new town to cope with the higher number of public transport vehicles has yet to be used but those in the industry say it is not adequate.

The current terminal, which cost RM8mil, will replace the 60-year-old old bus station in Jalan Maxwell.

Ready but not in use: The new Rawang bus and taxi terminal in Bandar Baru Rawang.

A Rawang station bus operator known as Seng, who operates the uptown mini-buses and Sri Jaya bus, said it was not feasible for the bus station to be relocated to the new terminal.

“The place will be congested and commuters will have to walk further.

“At present, there are 115 Sri Jaya buses and 20 mini-buses with only six parking bays available at the new terminal.

An obstruction: Sri Jaya, Metro and uptown mini-buses parked in Jalan Maxwell, Rawang, blocking traffic heading to Kuala Lumpur

“This is besides the 60 Metro buses that also service commuters in Rawang.

“The mini-buses ply areas like Ulu Yam, Bukit Sentosa, Masalam, Taman Tun Teja, Kuala Garing and Bandar Country Homes. The Sri Jaya buses travel from Rawang to Kuala Lumpur.

“The best solution is for Sri Jaya and Metro buses to be stationed at the new terminal while the mini-buses continue to use the old bus station. If the new terminal was bigger than it would not be a problem,’’ he said.

StarMetro visited the site and found that only six parking bays were available for express buses and another six bays for mini-buses at the new bus station.

However. there are ample parking bays and waiting areas for taxis.

Retiree Mohd Rahman Karip, 57, who commutes from Rawang to Kuala Lumpur by bus twice a week, said it was ridiculous that buses had to be stationed at two separate areas.

“The authorities should think about the commuters’ convenience. Many old people like me travel by bus and we cannot walk about half a kilometre to take a bus.

“The new bus and taxi terminal should be centralised,” he said.

Madhu Marimuthu, a resident of Bandar Country Homes in Rawang for 12 years, said the bus company would lose out if there were fewer passengers.

“Without enough parking bays, buses have to wait a while and this will cause a traffic jam in the area.

“However, I love the idea of the bus station being centralised and express buses and mini-buses moving there in stages,’’ he said.

Another resident, who wished to be known as only Alagendran, from Taman Rawang Perdana 2, said there must be proper planning.

“I hope that the Selayang Municipal Council has a systematic plan for the bus station.” he said.