KUCHING, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- A consortium of bus-owning companies, with equities from the public and private sectors, is expected to take over the public transportation in Kuching.

Sarawak Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) chairman Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Wednesday the stakeholders were expected to implement a management scheme based on a five-year programme to bring in new coaches and operate new routes for an efficient and comprehensive network of bus services in the city.

"We are looking a multi-tier kind of transport system, with some areas to be provided with the usual 48-seater, smaller capacity of 30-35 seater for housing estates and low-deck buses like in an advanced country, which will involve modification of some physical aspects of existing roads," he told reporters at his Hari Raya open house here.

Wan Junaidi, who is also Santubong Member of Parliament, said he had discussed the matter with Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who had given him the green light to approve whatever was necessary to improve transportation in Kuching and the rest of the state.

He is expected to sit in as the consortium's adviser.

The pilot project, which is a 30-year programme, will also look into the physical provision like central bus station and central transport station for the main towns as well as a study on the route service, in terms of population density in each particular area.

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