SELANGOR Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has pledged to solve the Klang Sentral fiasco by next month.

The RM12 million terminal in Meru faces a problem as all town buses have refused to operate from there.

Speaking to journalists after yesterday’s State Executive Council meeting, Khalid said he will reassess the situation and see how it develops.

“I will call all involved parties for a meeting in two weeks.

We will have to discuss this matter thoroughly before coming to a conclusion, as it is a very tricky situation.”

He also urged all parties to work with the government to solve the issue.

“If everybody cooperates, we can solve this problem faster.”

Asked if the State government was considering buying over Klang Sentral, Khalid said:

“Even if we buy Klang Sentral, it’s not going to change anything.

What we need is a concrete solution that will make everybody happy.”

Malay Mail also spoke to bus passengers who expressed relief that RapidKL had resumed operations within Klang town.

“Even though Klang Sentral is a state-of-the-art bus terminal, we find it easier to take the bus from here because it saves time,” said one commuter, who declined to be named.

However, they also expressed their disillusionment over the situation. “First, the bus companies were here.

Then they moved there.

Now, they are back here. All these took place within the space of four months.

It is a joke,” said K. Gokulakannan, 23. “I hope the Menteri Besar will solve this issue immediately.

” The Klang Sentral saga took a twist when RapidKL, one of the first bus companies that moved to Klang Sentral, moved out yesterday after four months.

RapidKL took the drastic action after citing poor passenger traffic, averaging only 20 passengers during peak hours.

However, the Klang terminal in the town centre was still enjoying brisk business.

Klang Sentral, which was supposed to be the transportation hub for Klang town, began operations last year despite objections from many parties.

Frequent commuters had objected to the location, as it was situated some six km from the town centre, making accessibility difficult.

Bus operators had also objected to the idea, claiming that it added cost to their operations.

They had also complained about the high fees, as monthly rental at Klang Sentral came up to RM900, compared with RM150 at the Klang terminal.

Buses were also charged RM10 for each entry at Klang Sentral.

They paid only RM2 at the old terminal.

Shops and stall traders at Klang Sentral have also complained about high rental charges.