(Article credits from FreeMalaysiaToday )

Penang’s ferry services resumed earlier on the 25th of August 2020 after coming to a halt the day before for the first time in its 126-year history due to technical problems with the last of its two vessels.

The Pulau Angsa ferry was fixed the night before and back in service at 6am.

The ferry will be operating at 40-minute intervals, with five buses remaining in service as an alternative for commuters, especially during peak hours.

“The Pulau Undan ferry requires special spare parts and is expected to be fixed by Thursday. We will do all we can to quicken the process.

“Rapid Ferry apologises to all passengers for the inconvenience,” operator Rapid Ferry said in a statement late last night.

The services of two other ferries, Pulau Talang and Pulau Kapas, were temporarily suspended a month ago as both vessels needed engine maintenance and serious repairs.

Rapid Ferry said the process would take more than six weeks as special spare parts needed to be transported from Sweden and Ireland.

Many commuters were caught unprepared yesterday and only learnt about the problem through notices posted at the ferry terminals in George Town and Butterworth in the morning.

They took to social media to criticise the operator which had made a Facebook post about the disruption in services at 1.25am.

Rapid Ferry later said the services would be unavailable for the next two days as the engines needed repairs. In the meantime, it said shuttle buses would be provided at both ends.