Klang Sentral tenants want better deal

Low passenger count, single entry/exit system irk bus operators.

OUTSTATION bus operators at the Klang Sentral bus terminal in Jalan Meru, which opened in December 2008, are still struggling with low volume of passengers and are upset with the station's management over the one-entry, one-exit system.

Although the 25 bus operators there have lodged complaints with the management, they claim their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

NOR FAIZIELAH BASIR, a spokesman for one of the bus operators, claims it has been months since they complained to the management company, NPO Management Sdn Bhd.

"When the building was constructed, it came with a one-entry, one-exit system which favours bus operators with counters at the front as the public tends to buy tickets from operators closest to the entry," she says.

"Now, it's a struggle to get enough passengers each day," says NOR FAIZIELAH, who works for Konsortium Bas Express Melayu (Klang) Sdn Bhd.

"Also, the station is prone to congestion during peak travel hours and it gets worse during public and school holidays when passenger volume is at its peak."

Another bus operator, who prefers to be known only as SHAMSUDDIN, says: "We only have many passengers during weekends, public and school holidays.

"On the other days, my company only has about 35 passengers and it's hard to make ends meet.

"Passengers also have a tendency to buy tickets from bus operators with counters at the front, so those operators further down suffer."

He says the station management could help improve the situation by allowing direct buses to Kuala Lumpur.

"Despite the KTM Komuter train services to KL, there are passengers who prefer taking the bus to the city," he says.

One bus operator upbeat about future prospects is Super Nice Express Sdn Bhd which started its services last month. Its spokesperson, SITI RAHAYU HUSSAIN, says: "Like most operators here, we have good days and bad days in terms of passenger volume, but we are positive that business will improve."

● WHEN contacted, NPO Management's property development leasing officer EIAANA ARIFIN says: "To build another entry system is too costly for the time being.

"Due to the current situation of less sales than anticipated, we are giving discounts to the bus operators of up to 40 per cent on their rental. Right now, some operators are fine with the rent but some aren't happy."

Bus operators pay a rental of about RM1,000 a month on the average (more if their lot size is bigger), stall operators pay RM1,200 a month, and those operating kiosks pay RM960 a month.

The most popular destinations for passengers from Klang Sentral are Ipoh, Kedah and Perlis in the north, Johor in the south, and Kelantan and Terengganu in the east.

 

CECILIA VICTOR - The Malay Mail

Klang Sentral 'blossoms' due to Puduraya bus terminal closure

Update on Klang Sentral Bus Terminal May 2010

KLANG: Klang Sentral, the sprawling 83-acre bus terminal which had failed to draw visitors since its opening late 2008, appears to have been given a new lease of life from a most unexpected source — the closure of the Puduraya terminal in March have resulted in passengers flocking to Klang instead of opting for buses from the temporary Bukit Jalil bus terminal.

The long-suffering bus operators at Klang Sentral are understandably elated over the recent development. Bus operator Prabu Ramiah, 25, claimed ticket sales have rocketed ever since.

"Before the temporary shutdown, we could not even get 15 passengers for each trip. It was bad. But many passengers are now switching to Klang Sentral as an alternative. Many have told us the Bukit Jalil bus terminal is simply too far. Though the increase is not much, at least it is improving," he said.

Prabu, however, pointed out that there was no transit bus available at Klang Sentral.

"Do you know that there is no bus going to Kuala Lumpur from here? We were promised that such buses would be available. But until today, there is no transit bus. Also, I think if Klang Sentral gets more publicity, more people would want to come here," he said.

Another bus operator, Nurhazirah Mohd Nafiah, 25, said that last year, ticket sales were dismal.

"When we first moved here, the terminal was pretty empty. Very few people wanted to come here. I admit the ticket sales is doing slightly better now but still, not many people prefer to come here.

I do not blame them as Klang Sentral is far compared to the previous location in Klang town," she said.

The traders, on the other hand, were unhappy with the bus terminal's situation. One restaurant owner, who only wanted to be known as Hamidah, said her business was not doing so good.

"During festive seasons, I get quite a number of customers. Other than that, it's very deserted over here. On top of that, there are now more traders here, so the competition is keener," she said.

Hamidah also said the high rentals made the situation difficult for traders to earn a decent income each day.

Another trader, Azmi Jaafar, 23, said that normally his daily income would reach about RM150. Azmi, who sells magazines, snacks and T-shirts, added that despite the temporary closure of the Puduraya terminal, his business remained relatively stagnant.

The Malay Mail team contacted NPO Management Berhad, the developer of Klang Sentral and informed them about the findings.

"We are happy to see that Klang Sentral is receiving more attention. We always want to provide better facilities for the people and are working on gaining more publicity for the bus terminal here," said NPO director Charmaine Lim.

"We are planning more ways to attract passengers to Klang Sentral, such as getting major anchors like the Giant supermarket.

"In other words, we want Klang Sentral to be much more than just a bus terminal."

When asked about the unavailability of transit buses, Lim said they were not the transport policymaker but were working on the issue and hoped to sort it out as soon as possible.

As for the high rentals, she said that due to the challenges which the traders and bus operators have been facing, the management gave them a 40 per cent discount.

"We understand their difficulties. So, with the discount, we hope to help them run their businesses easier," she said.

Lim also said the old Klang terminal was now operating for local buses only, not for express buses.

Klang Sentral has been operating since December 2008 and is located approximately nine kilometres from Klang town

Hafizah Hoze Rizal - The Malay Mail

More Trouble at Klang Sentral

TRANSIT: an update on the mostly forgotten Klang Sentral bus terminal.

KLANG: Barely a year after the controversial Klang Sentral bus terminal was opened, many retail outlets there are vacant as shopkeepers have packed up and left due to poor business and high rentals.

There are 38 retail outlets in Terminal A and of these, 11 outlets are vacant, with most retailers closing shop after only a few months.

The food court, or “food station”, which is located on the first floor of Terminal A, also closed down after operating for only seven months.

The food station operator was only given a day’s notice to vacate.

A notice dated July 24 last year, which was pasted on the main glass door by NPO Management, the operator of Klang Sentral bus terminal, stated that the food station would be closed the next day, July 25.

The notice stated that NPO Management had decided to close down the food station as the operator had refused to sign a tenancy agreement with them.

The notice added that NPO Management could not afford to suffer further financial losses.

Charmaine Lim, director of the Titijaya Group of Companies of which NPO Management is a subsidiary, said the company was considering other plans for the food station.

“We have other plans for the place allocated for the food court. We may not reopen the outlet for the sale of food and beverages but we are seriously considering other businesses so that the public can have a variety when they patronise these outlets,” she said.

Most of the traders at Terminal A complained that business was bad and it was hard for them to earn enough to pay for the rental of their outlets.

“Very few people patronise our shop which sells various kinds of souvenir items. We only see a crowd on weekends and public holidays,” said Mohd Izwan Marjan, 29, an employee at one of the outlets.

Izwan said the operator should lower the rentals as the outlets were finding it hard to make a profit, resulting in many of them being forced to close down.

Another retailer, who wished to remain anonymous, said although the operator had given some discounts in the rentals, they were not enough.

“There is insufficient business. The operator should reduce the rental. They can always review it when more passengers make use of the terminal and there is more business for us,” he said.

He is also unhappy as traders near the passengers waiting area are now selling the same type of food and drinks although they were earlier told that each trader would only sell a particular type of food or drink.

Lim, meanwhile, said the management empathised with the plight of the retailers and had reduced the rental by 40 per cent.

“When the number of passengers at the terminal picks up, the traders should be able to overcome their problems,” she said.

[TRANSIT: And what plans exist to make this happen? Using the 'power' of the CVLB?]

The RM12 million Klang Sentral complex in Jalan Meru is located 10km away from Klang town.

It is a build-operate-transfer project and the developer was given a 30-year concession to operate the bus and taxi terminals after which it will be handed over to the Klang Municipal Council.

It is part of a RM300 million commercial hub developed by NPO Development on a 33.2ha freehold land.

The little-used Klang Sentral opened its doors in November 2008 and has been the subject of controversy as many residents in Klang complained it was too far from the town centre.

Most bus operators have refused to use Klang Sentral because of its poor location and the lack of passengers. Many said the location of the terminal had added to their operational costs.

TRANSIT Says:

What is truly sad here is that no one is coming up with any solutions to improve the current situation. The customers are in Klang, specifically in North Klang, not Bandar Meru Raya (which is where Klang Sentral is).

Even the massive congestion in the town because of the construction of the flyover has not deterred the bus companies or the customers.

It is truly sad that no one in the government has come up with any solutions for the Klang Sentral problem. Where is the NKRA in the face of this sad and disappointing example of how not to plan public transport?

TRANSIT has suggested that a bus-rapid transit (BRT) system be introduced to Klang, with a north-south corridor that would quickly link Klang town to Klang Sentral in the north and Bukit Tinggi in the south, with 3 east-west corridors linking Klang to KL (along the NKVE, Federal Highway and KESAS).

Implementing the BRT for Klang would bring life back to Klang Sentral, turning it into a popular hub for intercity express buses and rural mini-buses and outstation taxies.

But if the governments do not start working together, Klang Sentral will become a permanent white elephant and the traders will lose the most.

by transitmy

Klang Sentral Bus Terminal

We just came back from Klang Sentral Bus Terminal. Got a bus ticket for my sister in law who is travelling south. My observation when I was there...

Parking was a breeze. Not many cars.

As we entered the main door, there is an information counter and Klang Sentral masterplan model. To my surprise, nobody was at the information counter. It was empty. I looked around for patrolling guards. None to be seen. All I wanted is to get direcetion to the ticket counters. Then near the escalator, I saw an A4 paper print out showing "Kaunter Tiket" with an arrow pointing upwards. No proper sign? I feel the ticket counters located on first floor is inconvenient. Upstairs, while searching for the right bus we found out that actually there are not many buses available. For instance, in a day only 2 trips available to some destinations. A far cry compared to Puduraya.

We got what we wanted and headed downstairs. I went to have a look at the Klang Sentral masterplan model. Its dirty and dusty. No maintenance work here. I took a glance at the information counter.. still empty. We walked around a bit. Quite a number of stores are vacant. There are even 2 stores, which we suspected have closed down due to lack of crowd in the bus terminal. I felt sorry for those store owners operating here. We noticed that the boarding platforms were empty. Not even a bus was in sight.

After a year in operation, nothing much has changed since the begining except for the run down state of the facility. I seriously wonder if Klang Sentral Bus Terminal can take off or will it become another white elephant. Looks like Klang Sentral developement is turning out to be a bad investment unless the Management has a sound gameplan in 2010.

Klang Sentral Developement

Klang Sentral , one of the hidden gems has yet to shine. KS has the potential to be Klang’s transportation hub.

Located just in front of Jalan Meru and surrounded by SP Setia crown project Setia Alam, award wining project Setia Eco Park, Mah Sing project Aman Perdana and Sime Property project Bandar Bukit Raja, KS can tap into the population growth of this area. There is no restriction on any legal business undertaking within this zone. Accessibility is a breeze as KS is connected by various expressways. MacDonald’s 24hour which is located nearby, has opened its doors.

Despite the above, KS still looks like a ghost town today. It may become a white elephant. Why?

Klang Sentral Bus Terminal is the key.

Please continue here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Klang-Sentral-Developement