PETALING JAYA: Those who plan to balik kampung by bus this Hari Raya may have to pay 30% more for their tickets.
Industry sources said the Government had agreed to impose a surcharge on stage and express bus fares from Sept 15 for a month.
Travellers from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Baru who were paying RM23.90 for a ticket each will now need to pay RM31.07 while those heading to Penang will have to pay RM34.84 instead of RM26.80.
Despite news of the increase, bus operators have yet to start selling tickets for the Hari Raya period as they are waiting for the Government to make an official announcement.
Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Ashfar Ali said they would not sell tickets in advance until they receive official confirmation.
“Otherwise, we don’t know for sure how much the tickets would be sold for or whether we might be penalised for selling at a new price without getting the nod from the authorities,” he said.
Ashfar said they would continue to push for a 100% fare increase, something they had been demanding for since late last year.
“This (30% increase) is just an interim measure. We are led to believe that the figure will be adjusted accordingly,” he said.
He said there might not be a need for a 100% fare hike if the Government announces goodies for the bus industry in Budget 2009.
Among the items asked for by operators are lower taxes for chassis, air-conditioning systems, spare parts, tyres and batteries, as well as the setting up of a fund by the Government to train new bus drivers.
By TEH ENG HOCK - The Star 28 August 2008
1 comment:
Very soon we have to walk to kampung
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