KUALA LUMPUR – School bus drivers are appealing to parents to cooperate with a possible increase in fares, ahead of the new school year that starts next week.
Speaking to Scoop, drivers have said they need to raise fares due to the rising cost of living as well as for maintenance.
Malaysia School Bus Drivers and Operators’ Association chairman Muruga Malai said a RM10 increase was reasonable to help bus drivers cope with paying for spare parts and insurance plans.
“Higher fares are part of ensuring the quality and safety of the buses.
“The RM10 increase in fares feels reasonable to enable a win-win situation between school bus entrepreneurs and parents,” he told Scoop.
The weak ringgit is also not helping, Muruga added.
“The falling ringgit has caused the price of spare parts like tyres and engine oil to increase, as most of them are imported.
“Previously, a set of tyres would only cost RM280, but now it has increased to over RM300,” he said.
Zulkifli Ahmad, 64, who has driven school buses for two decades, lamented the escalating maintenance costs, which he said had surged by 60% to 70% in recent years.
Bus drivers are also required to take their vehicles for biannual inspections at Puspakom, the computerised vehicle-inspection company.
“The government should provide subsidies to school bus drivers, but only for registered buses and those who comply with all requirements.
“For instance, I am a registered bus driver who has undergone Puspakom inspection, obtained a permit, and I’m a registered association member. Therefore, the government should consider this aspect,” Zulkifli said.
Another bus driver, Syed Amimurashid, 45, urged parents to understand the financial costs incurred by bus drivers to repair and maintain their vehicles for schoolchildren’s safety.
“Increasing the fare cannot be avoided; as school bus drivers, we also need to support our own children. How can we be expected to do that when our income is barely above the maintenance cost?” he said.
Meanwhile, another driver, who only wanted to be known as Yusri, said the government should extend assistance in the form of subsidies.
This, he said, would not only ease the financial strain on bus drivers, but also on parents.
His fares are already low, he added, ranging from RM70 to RM90 per month one way, depending on the distance travelled within his area of service. He also sets rates according to parents’ circumstances.
“I understand parents’ struggles, and that raising fares adds to their financial burden,” said the father of two.
“Nevertheless, I believe that all parties should be mindful and considerate of the parents who bear these costs.
“Even if there is an increase in prices, there is no need to make it excessively burdensome for parents,” he said.
The Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia has warned parents of possible fare hikes due to rising operating and maintenance costs, especially in urban areas such as the Klang Valley, when schools reopen next week.
Its president, Amali Munif Rahmat, said parents, especially those in the Klang Valley, should anticipate a monthly rise of between RM10 and RM20.
In Taman Puncak Jalil, Puchong, for example, the school bus fare for a daily, one-way trip that takes 10 minutes by car is RM120 a month.
Muruga, meanwhile, expressed his disappointment with the government, saying bus drivers did not receive enough recognition.
“We drive people’s children to school for their education and to be useful persons in society.
“The government can recognise us with assistance to cover the months after the school year ends, when bus drivers don’t have any income,” he said. – March 6, 2024