GEORGE TOWN, June 22 ― The Penang state government has allocated an estimated RM468,000 to pay for the ferry fares of all Malaysian foot passengers for the next six months.

Infrastructure and Transport Committee Chairman Zairil Khir Johari said all Malaysians using the ferry service will be able to use it for free from July 1 onwards.

"The state government will be funding the ferry fees for all Malaysian foot passengers with an allocation of about RM78,000 for about 65,000 tickets per month,” he said in a statement today.

He said the move is to encourage more people to use the ferry service and to relieve the financial burden of those negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysian ferry passengers need only scan their MyKad at the Penang Port Sdn Bhd’s MyKad scanner before boarding the ferry to ride for free.

"This proposal is an extension of the My30 journey pass that was launched in March to fund Rapid Penang bus fares for those who signed up for the pass,” he said.

He said with the free ferry rides, both land and water public transport in the state will be at no cost for local users.

"We hope that by providing free ferry rides at this critical time, it will be able to reduce the costs of transportation for those who use the ferry daily,” he said.