LEFT to rot! That’s what is
happening to more than 1,000 buses that served Klang Valley
residents - worth RM500 million when purchased 14 years
ago.
Considering the
continuing saga of thousands of people
who wait daily for buses that are always late, one wonders how this
situation could have come about.
These RapidKL vehicles have been dumped in Batang Kali and in
Sungai Buaya, Rawang.
The Malay Mail investigation into this wasteful affair was prompted
by complaints from city commuters on shortage of buses, or having
to wait very long for a bus.
These buses were inherited from Intrakota and Parkmay by Syarikat
Prasarana Negara Bhd, which owns commuter
service provider RapidKL.
The reason for the buses, bought from Italy at RM500,000 each, to
be “stored” in the two places by SPNB could not be
ascertained.
It is learnt that the buses were sent there about two years ago.
They could not be “cannibalised for spare parts” because the buses
RapidKL now uses are of a different make.
But to say that all the buses could no longer be used does not make
sense.
“The lifespan of a bus can be more than 15 years, depending on its
maintenance. Since Intrakota was established in 1994, the buses
could well have been roadworthy when they were dumped at the two
sites two years ago,” said a source familiar with the issue.
The Intrakota buses were built by Iveco of Italy, while the present
batch in use are mostly Mercedes-Benz, priced at RM350,000 or even
lower as they were purchased in bulk.
RapidKL was set up in 2004 as a merger of Putra LRT, Star LRT,
Intrakota and City Liner in an effort to give the Klang Valley an
integrated transport
system.
The company then decided to purchase brand new buses for easy
maintenance.
A check at the Sungai Buaya site revealed there were about 800
buses parked on what used to be a football field.
Located close to a housing area, the buses are watched over by a
lone guard, who stations himself in a cabin, and is aided by
several stray dogs.
The buses, many of them showing signs of decay inside and outside,
are parked on a hilltop and hidden by trees and shrubs.
At Antara Gapi in Batang Kali, the 200-odd buses are parked in an
open space by the main road, also guarded by a lone
security guard.
It is learnt that the buses will be disposed of by tender, a
process that is expected to take several months. The buses will
either be sold as scrap or to Third World countries that can
“rehabilitate” them.
Both RapidKL and SPNB were not available for comment.
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Quoted from Malay Mail. As posted on KTMRFC Forums.
I really think this is a stupid decision to leave the buses in
the open and exposed to the elements for more than 2
years.
