Tiered system for Penang Hill railway fares

Tiered system for Penang Hill railway fares questioned

THE Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) came under friendly fire again at the state assembly as a backbencher urged a restructuring of the new funicular railway fares.

R.S.N. Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) said the dual rate system, in which foreigners are charged RM30 and locals RM8 for a return trip, could leave a negative impression on foreign tourists.

“When we get on the London Bus Tour, everyone pays the same rates. As a Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman, I am worried that this issue will be politicised,” Rayer said.

State Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang said the rates were decided by PHC.

He said other countries also charged different rates for citizens and foreigners at tourist attractions.

“If there is a lot of opposition to the different charges, we can re-study the rates but as of now, there are not many complaints,” he said.

On Wednesday, Ng Wei Aik (DAP-Komtar) had taken PHC to task for not living up its objective of improving Penang Hill.

He had chided the corporation for appointing unqualified personnel to managerial positions, not reallocating trading lots to the hill’s long-time traders and failing to cope with the large crowd who flocked to try out the upgraded train service on Sunday.

The new funicular train service reopened on April 25 following a 14-month halt in the service for a RM73mil Tourism Ministry upgrading project.

～News courtesy of The Star～