Provide free bus rides like Pakatan states'

KOTA KINABALU: In view of the impending removal of fuel subsidies, it is time now for the State Government to utilise its reserves to provide free bus services for the convenience of the people who work in or around the KK city. Api-Api Assemblywoman Christina Liew said Monday, if the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Government could implement free bus rides in the interest of the public, there is no reason why the Barisan Nasional (BN) cannot do likewise.

"The timely move would save fuel and parking fees as well as solve the problem of heavy traffic congestion which is increasingly getting intolerable.

"In fact, I had called on the State government during one of the assembly sittings to consider the proposal in emulating Kuala Lumpur's free bus services within the city," she said in a statement.

In Selangor, the PR Government started the free bus service in Petaling Jaya (PJ) in 2012 as a way to solve the problem of serious traffic jam.

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The free bus service according to schedule covers all the major centres of PJ and also the major bus and light rail transport (LRT) stations.

This free bus service will eventually cover the rest of the city and municipal councils in Shah Alam and Subang Jaya.

Liew, who is Sabah PKR Deputy Chief, said Kota Kinabalu presently has a fleet of city buses plying the routes within the city but the number of buses is insufficient and the concessionaire charges the passengers.

"On this score, I suggest providing more city buses and pick-up points for the anticipated free service for the benefit of the rakyat," she said.

She pointed out that the scrapping of subsidy for diesel and petrol starting December 1st, will definitely hit the people hard, especially the middle and lower income groups.

"The people are already burdened with price hike in almost everything from food items to transportation costs directly or indirectly.

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We worry that the day the international market price for petrol and diesel soars, it will be another hard blow to the people," she said.

In this respect, she said the Government should have a contingency plan in place to subsidise the price of gasoline in the event the market price of petrol and diesel goes up to a certain level.

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