Earlier in March 2018, Malaysians were shocked to find out that Terengganu’s brand new amphibious bus was accidentally wrecked by the state’s then Chief Minister!
FYI, the bus, which reportedly cost a whopping RM3.3 million, can be driven both on land and water.
Source: Facebook
Just weeks after its introduction, the former Chief Minister of Terengganu Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif took the bus for a test drive at Sungai Terengganu despite not having any qualifications to operate the sophisticated vehicle. As a result, the bus broke down and became stranded in the middle of the river. It was later revealed that a hose connecting to the bus’ blower detached after the Chief Minister drove the vehicle at 14km/h.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Fast forward to the present day, and repairs on the amphibious bus are almost complete!
According to The Star, State Tourism, Culture and Information Technology committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said that operations will begin in early 2019, saying,
“We have high hopes that the Amphicoach will be very beneficial to Terengganu’s tourism industry. It will then be added to the existing list of tourist attractions at Taman Tamadun Islam (TTI) which houses one of Terengganu’s iconic places of interest, the Crystal Mosque.”
“If it becomes a popular attraction, we may consider getting another one.”
Source: The Star
Repairs are expected to be completed as soon as next month, and the bus will then be officially handed over to the Terengganu state government in October this year.
The amphibious bus was initially bought by the Barisan Nasional government in 2014 and was meant to be delivered in May 2015, as the government had planned to use it for flood relief efforts apart from tourism purposes, but the bus was only just delivered in February 2018.
Now, according to Ariffin Deraman, the amphibious bus will not be used for flood relief, and will instead be used solely for tourism, saying,
“It is unsuitable for such efforts, given the problems. It cannot handle such a heavy task.”
What do you think of this initiative and the possibility that Terengganu could be getting another bus? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Terengganu MB Insists on Driving RM3 Million Amphibious Bus, Accidentally Breaks It
