JOHOR BAHRU, El Sky News – A scene of frustration unfolded at Larkin Sentral early this morning as passengers were left stranded at the boarding area, not by the bus operators, but by the terminal management.
While several buses were reportedly parked at the platforms and ready for departure, the boarding gates remained locked because terminal staff had not yet arrived to open them or scan boarding passes.
Standstill at the Gates
- Scheduled Departure: Tickets were marked for 4:30 AM.
- The Bottleneck: Despite the buses being visible and ready at the docks, passengers could not reach them.
- Staff Absence: As of 5:00 AM, no Larkin Sentral personnel were available at the counters or gates to facilitate the boarding process.
“The Buses are there, but we can’t get in”
Witnesses at the terminal expressed their annoyance, noting that the delay was entirely avoidable. Unlike typical delays caused by traffic or bus breakdowns, this incident was strictly due to a lack of operational readiness by the terminal’s management.
”It’s frustrating because you can see the bus is already there and the driver is ready, but we are stuck behind a locked gate. It’s 5:00 AM now and there is still no one from Larkin Sentral here to let us through. What is the point of a 4:30 AM ticket if the building staff aren’t even awake yet?” said one affected commuter.
Demand for Accountability
This incident highlights a major lapse in coordination between the terminal’s operating hours and the bus schedules they sell. Passengers are calling for Larkin Sentral to ensure that staff are stationed at the gates at least 30 minutes prior to the earliest scheduled trip.
The delay has caused a ripple effect, with many passengers worried about missing connecting flights or arriving late for work in Singapore and other states.
Many reviewers have warned other travelers to arrive much earlier than scheduled—not because of the buses, but because of the unpredictable “bottleneck” at the terminal gates. Passengers are now calling for a serious overhaul of how Larkin Sentral coordinates with bus schedules to prevent such “locked-gate” scenarios from happening again.
