LABUAN — Roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ferry operators here are urged to look into passenger convenience, particularly for those lining up their vehicles inside the ferry, as cars are often arranged too close to one another, causing difficulty for passengers to exit their vehicles and access the upper deck passenger lounge.
One of the affected passengers, Adrian Nandu, shared his recent experience aboard a ferry from Menumbok to Labuan after concluding a trip to Kota Kinabalu with his family.
“As usual, when I drove into the RoRo ferry, a staff member instructed us to line up our car along with the other vehicles. I simply followed the instructions given. However, the problem was that our car was parked too close to the vehicles on both the right and left sides.
“The situation made it difficult for us to get out of our car to go to the passenger deck. Both vehicles parked beside us were luxury cars. I tried to open the doors, but even if you weigh around 70 to 80 kilograms, the doors would still touch the adjacent vehicles and might scratch them.
“When we travelled to Menumbok earlier, we were still able to get out of the vehicle, although it was inconvenient due to the limited space between the parked vehicles inside the ferry. But this time, we couldn’t,” he said to The Labuan Times, adding that the issue is ongoing and should be addressed by the ferry operator or the relevant authorities.
Adrian further said that certain areas inside the ferry may allow drivers and their family members to exit their vehicles more easily, especially when parked along the sides of the ferry.
“When vehicles are parked in the middle section, passengers may or may not be able to get out, depending on how tight the spacing is between vehicles.
“With this inconvenience, which I believe is not faced by me alone but by many others as well, the proposed bridge linking Labuan and Menumbok — long demanded by the people of Labuan — could be a solution for greater convenience,” he said.
