School bus operators now allowed to transport factory workers

CORONAVIRUS | School bus operators affected by the movement control order (MCO) are now allowed to temporarily transport factory workers to and from their workplaces, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail said this was part of government efforts to assist school bus operators who lost their income during the MCO period.

"If in the past buses transporting factory workers were allowed to operate at full capacity, now the number (of passengers) have been halved.

"So maybe they will not have enough time to transport all the workers," said the senior minister in charge of the security cluster at a daily National Security Council Covid-19 update press conference in Putrajaya.

Given the situation, Ismail said the Transport Ministry has decided to allow school bus operators to temporarily serve as additional transport for factories.

"This is for us to assist the school bus operators with no income, for them to earn an income from temporarily converting their buses while schools remain closed," he said.

Ismail said this in response to concerns raised by parents on school bus operators who insisted to continue charging a monthly fee despite schools having been closed for almost two months.

Meanwhile, Ismail (photo) also said the Transport Ministry is currently looking into reported higher fees charged by public transport operators to make up for their reduced passenger load in line with Covid-19 prevention guidelines.

He said the Transport Ministry is currently looking at the overall situation, including flight ticket prices that had reportedly doubled in recent times to make up for their halved capacity.

"Right now we realise that the prices have increased.

"At the cabinet meeting this morning, we were made to understand by the transport minister that an economy class ticket to London is now close to RM8,000," he said.

"So the Transport Ministry will look into this matter so that there is no loss to public transport operators.

"They will table their proposals to the special government committee," he further said.

Malaysia has been under MCO since March 18 but a gradual relaxation of restrictions after almost two months saw re-opening of various sectors with strict conditions and procedures.

All schools have remained closed and interstate travels are similarly not allowed.

A limited number of flights have continued to bring back Malaysians stranded overseas, while the latest regulations saw permission granted for certain flights to enter Sabah and Sarawak from Peninsular Malaysia. - Mkini