The MV Shuttle Hope, which is owned and operated by local company PKL Jaya Sdn Bhd, had a soft launching today at the Serasa Ferry Terminal.

Aboard the maiden voyage was Malaysian High Commissioner Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Ports Director Ang Kian Guan and Director of Marine Department Hj Omar Hj Sirat.

The new service promises to offer a faster and more convenient way to travel from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu.

The average road journey takes six to nine hours, during which you have to cross three immigration checkpoints and two rivers using a small car ferry.

During peak periods such as school holidays or long weekends, the queue for car ferries and customs checkpoints can stretch for several hundred metres.

So far, public responses to the ferry service has been mixed since pricing was released on December 24.

A one-way ferry ticket to Menumbok is priced at $70 per vehicle (including the driver), plus $25 for each additional passenger and $12.50 for children. The journey takes two and a half hours.

The Brunei Times interviewed several members of the public to gauge their feelings on the new venture.

A Bruneian family who are frequent travellers to Sabah said that they would be eager to try the new ferry once the services are made available to the public.

Hj Mohd Alamsah said: "It would be good to avoid the hassle of having to go through all the immigration checkpoints. This way, I won't waste pages in my passport with all the different stamps."

The concerned father of two also said that he did not want to risk his children's safety by travelling on the road at night.

"Even we if leave Brunei early in the day, we would only reach KK by late evening because of the long queues at immigration," he added.

Hjh Aliyaa said she would not take the new Menumbok ferry because it was too expensive.

"I have a husband and three children. If we were to travel using the new ferry, it would cost us $265 for a return journey. I might as well fill my car up with $30 worth of petrol and it would get us there just the same," said the mother of two from Kg Bengkurong Masin.

A tourist at the Serasa Terminal, Jolene Cole from the UK, said that the $25 fare for foot passengers was a bargain compared to the $45 bus fare to Sabah.

Cole agreed that travelling on a ferry was preferable to taking a long road journey as she enjoys the fresh air, adding that being seated in a bus was uncomfortable for her due to the confined space.

"As long as there is a good bus connection from Menumbok to Kota Kinabalu, then I think travellers like myself will definitely benefit from it," added the Sabah-bound tourist.

A retired teacher living in Temburong, Hj Affendi, said that he found the the ferry tickets to be a bit pricey.

"The condition of the roads has improved a lot in the past few years. Nowadays, it only takes me three hours to reach KK from Temburong. There will also be a bridge opening soon in Terusan, Lawas that will make the journey even faster," he said.

Chin Mook Seng, managing director of PKL Jaya, said you cannot substitute the experience of travelling on the ferry with a road trip.

"Passengers are free to walk around the deck and enjoy the sea breeze and amenities on board such as the music, TVs and a snack bar."

When told that some locals were concerned about pricing, Chin responded that the price of the ticket covers insurance for both the vehicle and driver.

"The MV Shuttle Hope adheres to the highest international safety standards. All of our crew are experienced seafarers and we strive to make safety our top priority. That is partly reflected in the price," he said.

The MV Shuttle Hope departs from the Serasa Ferry Terminal at 9.30am daily and arrives in Menumbok, Sabah at 12pm. The return service departs Menumbok at 3pm and arrives at Serasa at 5.30pm.

Link: http://www.bt.com.bn/en/news-national/2009/12/31/serasa-sabah-ferry-service-commences