Thousands make beeline for one last ride onboard Penang's iconic ferries

Both the Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal here and the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth, were packed with cars and people queuing since before 8 am in hopes of being the first few passengers and to avoid large crowds.

“We chose to holiday in Penang because we wanted to ride the ferry and have been waiting for almost an hour. I want them (my wife and family) to cherish the memory of riding the iconic ferry because my child has never been on it before,” a teacher from Perak said when met on the ferry today.

Meanwhile for Penang local Soon Yong Khoon, 40, he took leave in order to bring his wife, son and mother for a last ride on the iconic ferry.

Yong, who works as an insurance agent said although he had often used the ferry previously, this last experience was different and special.

"As a local, of course I’m sad because the iconic ferry is the state’s heritage and I hope that it will return to service one day in the future,” he said.

The Transport Ministry had previously stated that the ferry service modernisation phase would begin with the introduction of three water buses (for passengers) beginning Jan 1, 2021, followed by two vehicle transporters that would only ferry two wheelers (such as motorcycles and bicycles) that will begin operations in 2022.

On Dec 17, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat that RM30 million had been allocated to modernise the ferry service that would be channeled through two payments in 2021 and 2022.

As a temporary measure, the ministry said that Penang Port Sdn Bhd would prepare two fast passenger boats to ferry passengers as well as use the Prasarana-owned ferry service to ferry two wheeled vehicles in an effort to help the transition process to new vessels.