Operators urge govt to allow express buses fare increase

 

The government has been urged to allow express bus operators to increase ticket prices following the hike in maintenance costs.

Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Ekspres Melayu Semenanjung Malaysia (Pembawa) secretary Laili Ismail said the hike in maintenance materials and fuel are among the main reasons why the operators have to bear the extra costs.

“Many things related to the sector are facing price increases.

“However, the ticket prices are still at the same old rate as it was five years ago, even though the main economic source of this service is based on ticket sales,” he told the press in Kota Bharu, Kelantan today.

He added that the industry also has to battle the crisis of unbalanced costs brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit the country two years ago.

Laili expected the situation to persist for a long time if the government does not pay any attention to this matter.

“Hence, we are begging for the government to review the ticket prices in line with the current situation in order to overcome the current crisis,” Laili said.

Pembawa secretary Laili Ismail

Resuming normal operations

He also explained that there are still several operators who cannot fully resume normal operations even though it has been allowed since the reopening of the interstate borders.

“Even resuming normal operations is done at a small scale because we are forced to reduce the number of trips to all destinations as users’ acceptance towards this mode of transportation has gone down.

“For example, before this, we may have five trips to one destination, but we are now forced to reduce it to three, and the three trips are sometimes not even fully booked,” he said.

There are also operators who had to shut their businesses due to financial constraints, he added.

“To continue the operations, these companies would need to pay high costs for the maintenance of the buses that have stood idle for quite some time.

“Before resuming operations, we must make sure the condition of the buses is good for the safety and comfort of the users.

“At least RM15,000 is needed for the bus maintenance before it can be operated. There are many components we need to check, including the black oil, the brake system and the tyres,” Laili said. - Mkini