LABUAN: Cash payment for sea transport services from Labuan to destinations in Sabah and Sarawak will soon be a thing of the past once the online payment system takes off on February 1.
The online system via an application or card system namely ‘LabuanPay’ will be fully enforced for the five ferryboats currently on fixed schedule of two to four trips daily, with workers on standby at the counters to assist travellers unfamiliar with the system.
Yayasan Pembangunan Labuan’s (YPL) investment arm company in charge of the Labuan International Ferry Terminal, LDA Holdings Sdn Bhd, is responsible for the smooth operations of sea transportation via the terminal.
YPL chairman Datuk Rozman Isli said the cashless system would benefit travellers from Labuan to the mainland and vice versa – for greater convenience and and planning, and more importantly, a boon for the tourism sector.
“Gone are the days where travellers end up being disappointed after tickets run out upon arriving at the terminal ferry counter,” he said at the launching of the E-Walet LabuanPay and E-Ticketing at the Labuan International Ferry Terminal yesterday.
Rozman said the system was in line with Labuan’s plans of becoming a cashless society. “We hope the ‘LabuanPay’ will be accepted by all outlets here, then we can turn Labuan into a cashless island,” he said.
LDA Holdings chairman Noor Halim Zaini disclosed a total of 445,535 passengers used the terminal to travel to mainland Sabah and Sarawak, and 457,533 people from the mainland to Labuan last year, bringing the total number of passengers handled close to one million (902, 868).
“We will start with Labuan to Menumbok (Sabah), Lawas and Limbang in Sarawak on Feb 1 and destinations to Labuan from Sabah and Sarawak in March,” he said.
The cashless system introduced by Mobility One Sdn Bhd is a collaborative effort with LDA Holdings, which hopes to to expand the financial technology (fintech) system to the Labuan’s roll on roll off (ro-ro) ferry services. – Bernama
