A bus operator here has lamented that the response to the service of stage buses under the state government’s RM1 flat rate bus fare initiative which started yesterday was “rather poor”.
SIBU: A bus operator here has lamented that the response to the service of stage buses under the state government’s RM1 flat rate bus fare initiative which started yesterday was “rather poor”.
Managing director of Lanang Bus Transport Company Lau Khing Seng said his fleet of about 10 stage buses which operated since yesterday morning had very few passengers.
“We are operating the usual routes to four destinations of Sibujaya, Lanang, Sibu hospital and Sentosa, Salim area.
“Overall, there is only a few passengers for each travelling route. As such, we have to stop operating by 5pm,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Last Thursday, Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin announced that the stage buses here under the state government’s RM1 flat rate bus fare initiative would resume service yesterday with strict standard operating procedures (SOP) compliance to prevent Covid-19 spread.
Lee said the date for resumption of the stage bus service was proposed by the bus companies here.
The State Disaster Management Committee had recently decided that urban stage bus service could resume in green and yellow zones, which included Sibu, after been shutdown since the enforcement of Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18.
According to Lau, because of poor response, his company would make a loss.
“It’s best we stop operating early by 5pm today (yesterday) even though we are allowed to operate until 10pm,” he said, adding there was no point to go beyond and ended up further losses.
He said three other bus companies – Sungei Merah Bus Bhd, Borneo Amalgamated Transport Company and Sg Teku Road Bus Company which offered fewer buses also suffered the same fate.
Asked on the cause for poor response from the passengers, Lau who is also the advisor of Sarawak Transport Company Association opined the public was not aware of the low fare offered.
“Perhaps if given more publicity for the public, there will be better response though during this Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) it is not ‘healthy’ to operate and extra tedious work of SOP to comply with,” he stated.
Meanwhile, he stated the RM1 fare stage bus is operated within 30 kilometres of the urban area.
“The Sarawak government stated that it would provide subsidies for bus companies at 50 per cent or 100 per cent.
“We are also waiting for an answer. For example, the fee from Sibujaya to Sibu town is RM 5.90, the fee is RM1 and the bus companies will have to lose RM 4.90.
“If the government does not provide subsidies, no one will do business at a loss,” Lau pointed out.