Thousands left stranded after consortium stops services to unprofitable routes

Out of service: An employee of a bus company pointing to a notice indicating the cessation of services on the Dusun Nyior route.

SEREMBAN: Bus companies made good yet again their threat to stop plying unprofitable routes when a major consortium in Negri Sembilan abruptly ceased serving several areas in the state.

While thousands of commuters were stranded for hours yesterday, the Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association warned that more stage bus services nationwide will be terminated by month's end if the Government does not bail them out from “bleeding losses”.

Last month, the association wrote to the heads of six state governments Negri Sembilan, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, Penang and Pahang that 17 bus companies will terminate operating 80 routes soon if the Government does not buy over their operations.

Going nowhere: Bus drivers and employees of the consortium sitting at their depot in Oakland near Seremban 2 after services to several areas were terminated yesterday.

The Land Public Transport Commission has said that it will call the operators in the next few days for “discussions”.

Advances in rail transport have benefited Malaysian commuters, but not bus operators, who feel the competition keenly even as they struggle with spiralling operations and maintenance costs. - Star