KOTA KINABALU, Tuesday, 16 June 2026:
The government should introduce greater flexibility into the BAS.MY framework, as the current routing structure risks spending millions in public funds moving largely empty buses around Kota Kinabalu instead of serving actual commuter demand.
As the ongoing deployment of smaller coaster buses remains an evolving implementation phase, the system should be adjusted to allow feeder routes that connect residential neighbourhoods to the main loop services operated by larger buses. Such an approach would help reduce waste while ensuring public transport is tailored to local conditions.
Based on details recently disclosed by LPKP Sabah Director Dairin Unsir, the BAS.MY contract allocates RM86.19 million to fund 23.05 million kilometres of bus operations over five years at a fixed rate of RM3.74 per kilometre, regardless of passenger numbers.
Under such a structure, operators are paid according to distance travelled rather than ridership. As a result, their financial sustainability depends on covering the contracted mileage rather than attracting and carrying more passengers. They are not choosing to run empty buses, but are simply following the fixed route network handed down to avoid penalties for route deviations.
Under a framework that rewards kilometres instead of ridership, route planning and optimisation become the responsibility of the government rather than the operators.
The newly introduced mini-buses provide an ideal platform for feeder services. Their smaller size is better suited to Sabah’s residential roads, narrow streets, and tighter commercial areas, allowing them to complement rather than duplicate the main trunk routes.
Several high-density clusters across Kota Kinabalu would benefit immediately from feeder coaster services. In established urban cores such as Luyang–Damai–Lintas, Tanjung Aru–Sembulan, and Kepayan Ridge, as well as the industrial–residential hybrid area of Kolombong–BDC–Taman Khidmat, and the suburban Inanam–Kiansom corridor, these smaller vehicles are well suited to operate within dense residential grids, hilly terrain, and congested commercial zones, providing direct feeder connectivity to the main arterial routes and the central loop network.
Gee Tien Siong
Former Luyang PPM
Vice President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)