Public transport fare issue to be raised at Ministers' Meeting - Ismail Sabri

PUTRAJAYA, May 13 -- The Transport Ministry (MOT) will table a proposal on the issue of fare increase to offset losses suffered by public transport operators in cutting passenger capacity by half to meet social distancing regulations, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the government had received complaints from public transport operators on the matter and realised that the practice of social distancing on public transport had somewhat led to more expensive fares.

"So, MOT will look into this matter to ensure that there are no losses on the part of public transport operators. MOT will table its proposal at the Ministers’ Special Committee Meeting soon,” he told a daily news conference on the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) here today.

He said this when answering a question on complaints about higher fares charged by operators on grounds that they are allowed to carry only half the usual number of passengers during the CMCO period.

Asked about school bus operators charging for their services although schools are still closed, Ismail Sabri this was a different issue from public transport operators running at half the normal passenger capacity.

"In this case they (school buses) are not operating at all. Parents pay for the buses to ferry their children to school.

"This should not have happened. Action must be taken by MOT because school bus operators’ licences are issued by MOT," he said.

Ismail Sabri said the government understood the situation faced by school bus operators following the closure of schools.

He said one way for them to overcome their problem was to let their vehicles be used for transporting factory workers, in view that factory bus operators can only carry half the usual number of passengers.

"MOT has decided to allow factory bus operators to use school buses to ferry factory workers. This is to help school bus operators who have lost their source of income to convert their vehicles into factory buses when schools are still closed,” he said.

-- BERNAMA