This article was taken from The Star Malaysia, 30th July 2008
PUTRAJAYA: The Government has agreed to increase stage and express bus fares but has not decided on the quantum.
Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said the new fares would be announced before Hari Raya in October.
Noh, however, shot down the Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association’s appeal for a 100% fare increase, saying it would be a great burden on the public.
“Their appeal for an increase cannot be refused but a 100% increase means a RM30 fare would be RM60. This is too high,†he said, adding that the memorandum from the association was accepted during the National Inflation Council meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Monday.
Nohsaid the ministry has drawn up a formula on the fare increase, which it now has to discuss with the association.
“We understand their financial problem because prices of diesel, tyre and engine oil have gone up a few times since 2005, while fares have not increased,†he told reporters after presenting excellence award to 68 ministry staff here yesterday.
Noh also said that the Government was looking into the operators’ other problems, including complaints that they could not sell tickets yet for the Hari Raya season for fear there would not be enough buses.
“They said some buses do not want to operate during the festive season because it is only full for a one-way journey such as Kuala Lumpur to Johor and returns with fewer passengers,†he said.
Among ideas the Government was studying to help prevent bus companies from incurring losses, particularly when running services to rural areas, was to issue permits for them to transport school children and factory workers.
He said Mara was incurring losses of about RM3mil per year providing subsidised transport at Felda schemes.
The ministry was also studying the possibility of allowing the 20,000 school bus operators to ferry members of the public after they had sent students to school, to enable them to increase their income, he added.
Association president Datuk AshfarAli, however, insisted that the Government meets its three requests: an increase in diesel quota for both stage and express buses, a 100% fare increase and goodies for the industry in the coming Budget.
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What the article failed to mentioned is, the raise will be implemented before the coming Raya. The VVIP freaks out there has confirmed that the raise will be implemented before Raya over national TV last night, TV3’s Bulletin Utama.
Now, I have a few things to say about this. Firstly, why approve the raise before raya and not after raya? So much for taking the public interest into consideration. And they are planning to raise the price by kilometre too. Wouldn’t that be too expensive for the citizens? The main reason why people use public transport for ‘balik kampung’ is because it’s a lot cheaper than driving while some take public transport because they simply do not have a vehicle to call their own.
They raise may not be 100%, as the government assured us, but then again, the raise would be burderning nevertheless. And, how can we be sure that the fare won’t be raised 100%? Our government is so famous for saying one thing and meaning another.
The raise is not only implemented on those ‘bas persiaran’, but also normal buses that stop constantlyto shuffle the people to work and to school and the fare will be raised by kilometre too. This means the lower income and the middle income people are the ones who will be affected the most, not the VVIPs.
While I know that the fare will need to be raised sooner or later, but I shudder to think of the impact it will have on us when they finally raise it. When fuel become expensive, transportation will be made to follow. When transportation become expensive, the rest of the thing we use in our daily lives such as food, etc, will also become expensive too. When everything become expensive, the inflation will become more and more unstoppable?
What can we do to brace the impact of the economic tsunami when the value for our money is plundering and no sign of stopping? Not to mention that we are not earning more as well. Beats me. I don’t know what to think anymore.
Cleffairy: This is what we get when our leaders are retarded and do not know how to control the economy well.
really sien over our govt’s issues. really do not know what to write but just to say this…..our govt are all whores and bitches and they all can go to hell….*praying and confessing for the blasphemy* :p
LOL… calvin, we sien only nevermind. But they are also burning a hole not only in our pocket. Our savings is also burning. 🙁
They are C4ing our money. 🙁 What fuckers! Argh! Like you, I really hope they are BBQed in HELL. If only thoughts can kill, if only….
Guys, BN living up to their nametag.
Bus fares are getting ridiculously high. And if its going to raise any ire, they are going to raise all fares before Aidil Fitri. Cost of balik kampung will go up. Maybe they meant to punish those folks who voted against them last election.
for some reason i thought our bus services/train/lrt sucks to the max. while, i m an advocate of public transport in which i still patronize should there b a chance, i thought they need to improve first. this raise according to what certain percentage they r talking about seems to justify only when the raise has something to do with improved services and safety. their timing/punctuality/safety/nice cushion/drinks/cleanliness/etc need to be projected into the projected raise. should all if not a bulk of the raise is to address the unjustified rise in crude oil which was in fact pocketed into their own pocket or to champion causes only personal to them, then this is a real burden to the people. i dunno la, i aint no politician and economist but any guy on the street knows that we ought to look at the root causes and we should tackle those.
I don’t balik kampung often. Only errr… once a year, and leech my dad’s money cuz he usually sponsor me airticket.He don’t like me going back home by bus. You know my dad heard about those accidents and rape cases on the bus. He goes bonkers about it. Thank god my parents comes to KL often, if not, I would miss them like hell!
Though the bus fare won’t affect me directly, I really believe that it will affect me indirectly. And it’ll goes the same to everyone else in Malaysia. I think I can almost imagine those VVIPs creeps cackling like some bitch being screwed as they sees the people suffer.
Haha, chit…of course we’re not politicians. We can never be one. You know why? Because we’re good people(Clef said with a perasan-ly manner). We don’t lie to people, we don’t rob people in bright daylight….cannot be politicians la, we’re not qualified. LOL. You’re right you know, about the services. Busses and train (KTM) and even Airasia and Mas have the punctuality of a 90 years old grandma participating in gymnastic! Always late, always delay… customer service sucks, lack of safety and security.
i really think that even though they need to raise some things, they ought to do it gradually. But what to do… aiihhh… Malaysia Boleh what? They boleh raise anything and do anything at wimp!
Arghhhhh
Ps: In the background, people can hear Clef screaming her head off like a madwoman at all of these nonsense.
Hi cleffairy… good insight. And this is coming from the people who once said the fuel price increase will not cause increase in prices of other goods… duh! This increase in fares also prroves that even of you change yor lifestyle, i.e from driving to taking the bus, you’d still be hit by the effects of fuel price increase. Come on, the govet needs to stop treating us like fools and stoop giving all this lies. The people can think, you know?
I dont know bout u guys, but read the statement. Its like we shld be thankful that they are so good in negotiating that they did not give the bus association 100% of what was demanded…
So tell me.. what do you think of the “negotiating skills”?
Bigdaddy… we have been fed with lies since we were born… to them another few more wont hurt… just like saifool.. I am sure he was brainwashed into thinking he had a plastic cucumber shafted up his… well, its unrelated.
Haha, bigdaddy. i always knew that when the fuel raise price, other goddamned things will be raised as well. Even toilet papers will raise…logistic, logistic! Argh.
Kevin… their negotiating skill is superb! Nothing less would describe that. just imagine, a massage parlour, with beautiful ladies massaging them while they are negotiating. They negotiate on how much they can telan, how much they can throw in their Swiss bank account, etc. Sure, their skills damned GOOD!
There is actually no perfect timing. If after raya, it will be deepa and the indians will cry out, do it after deepa, its christmas and new year where people will take long leave coinciding year end and school hols and thus the cristians and EVERYBODY else will curse the govt, if after new year, CNY and the chinese will shout shit to the power that be , if after CNY its hari raya haji and we the moslems cursing instead of saying alhamdullilah and syukur for being able to once again praise God.
To be fair, if anyone can tell me that it is only in Malaysia that the world is turning upside down and that life is hell whereas everywhere else in this world people are living life like in heaven, I will be the first to write a scanting article attacking the govt.
Sure we can go back to subsidy, forget real economics and real good governance, play politics, play the populists script and manipulate prices, gives out all kind of incentives and assistance like there is no tomorrow and like no body business just like many countries are doing and mind you, these countries are most often than not developing and underdevelop countries. Lets do that and in 20 years time, lets see whether that is the right decision to take.
Sure the barisan govt sucks, they jerk us off sometimes, they sodomise us from time to time and they are not really top class act etcetc but I will give them credit for the many good things that they have done and managed to do too.
I wouldnt say that a pakatan federal govt would be better or do stuffs better becasue if I do that than I will be speculating and dreaming. Only fools speculate and dream!
LOL… frankly speaking, I think Pakatan and BN is 2×5,5×2… both are just the same. Both N.A.T.O. No action, talk only….
A fool if you do… A fool if you dont… no doubt 2×5, 5×2… At present I prefer 5×2… because 2×5 is looking more stupid than the other.
mathematically speaking, both are the same!
HAHA
Haha, yalorr, just the same la. Adeihhh…
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!