`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Thursday, January 15, 2015

Diesel prices at the pump down, school bus fares up

School bus operators unable to cope with rising maintenance costs for their vehicles.
oil down bus fare upMALACCA: School bus operators nationwide are raising their fares by between 10-20 per cent despite the drop in diesel price at the pump, according to the Star Online.
The new fares will kick in immediately.
The Federation of Malaysian School bus Operators Associations said that its members had to raise fares because under the existing fee structure, they were unable to cope with rising maintenance costs for their vehicles.
Its president Amali Munif Rahmat said it was a “do or die situation” with many of the operators and that a good number of them were turning into illegal transporters because they could save money on licence fees and insurance costs.
He said it was five years since the fares were last increased and the operators did not benefit from the drop in diesel price.
“The cost of operating a school bus has shot up by 100 per cent. Compare that to the savings in diesel cost,” he said.
“An 11R-sized tyre is RM1,600 when in 2009 it was only RM950, while engine oil is RM196 for an 18-litre can compared to RM95 seven years ago.”
Bus operators now charge RM27.43 for the first kilometre and RM2.05 for each subsequent kilometre in urban areas under a fare scheme regulated since 2009 by the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board.
Parents in rural areas pay a lower fare, RM20.62 for the first kilometre and RM2.02 for every subsequent kilometre.
The federation represents 37 associations with a total of about 10,000 members nationwide.
There are about 17,500 school bus operators in the country.
Amali Munif suggested that the Government consider subsidising school bus fares.
He suggested the Government could look into allotting funds to school bus operators, much like the funding it provides to the RapidKL transport bus operator and the operator of the GoKL free bus service for tourists.
According to him, the financial aid provided by the Government to replace ageing school bus fleets was insufficient.
He said the buses were assembled in Japan and cost a minimum of RM300,000 each but assistance from the Government only covered half that amount.
“And most operators have much difficulty getting financing for new buses because they either have existing loans or do not earn enough to pay the monthly instalments,” he said.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.