Sabah bus operators want fare hike, too

Kota Kinabalu: Express bus operators in the State have urged the Sabah Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) to follow the announcement by the Land Public Transportation Commission (SPAD) Thursday to increase express bus fares by up to nearly 23 per cent in the peninsula on April 1.Sabah Express Bus Operators Council (SEBOC) Chairman, Datuk Donald Hanafi, said he had communicated with Sabah CVLB Sabah Chairman Datuk Yusof Apdal to convey the Sabah express bus operators' request shortly after SPAD's announcement.

"We requested what was announced in Semenanjung to also be announced in Sabah and also Sarawak," he said, commenting on the report on the new fares for land public transportation in the peninsula.

Donald said since the move was to coincide with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) nationwide on April 1, it was only fair to also include Sabah in the fare hike.

"All of us will be paying the GST and why the express bus fares in the peninsula can be increased but not here?" he asked.

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In this respect, Donald said Sabah CVLB, which is the authority in public transportation in Sabah, should announce a new fare structure.

He also questioned the lower rate in Sabah compared to the peninsula which has better roads than Sabah.

Currently, the rate in Sabah is 10.3 sen per kilometre, while the 23 per cent increase announced by SPAD in the peninsula would make the fare there go up to 11.4 sen per kilometre from the present 9.3 sen per kilometre.

"Our roads in Sabah are not as good as those in Semenanjung. The lower road quality in Sabah means people like us have to fork out more in terms of cost of maintenance for our buses.

"That is why we call on the Sabah CVLB to consider giving express bus operators in Sabah a similar deal as our counterparts in Semenanjung.

"Furthermore, Sabah is the biggest contributor for the Barisan Nasional, so we should be getting similar if not a better deal," said Donald.

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SPAD Chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said the rise in the fares was inevitable due to the higher costs, including for maintenance, borne by public transportation operators.

He said the fares were streamlined after considering the needs of the operators who were burdened with the rising prices of goods and the interests of the public using public transportation.

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