Malaysia: Ensuring buses, taxis stick to fares

by Sim Bak Heng

The Entrepreneur and Co-operatives Development Ministry will set up a body to oversee the implementation of the new bus and taxi fares from May 1.


The main task, said minister Datuk Khaled Nordin, was to ensure that operators adhered to the approved rates.

He said more details on the body would be announced on Friday.Khaled also called on the public to be the eyes and ears of the ministry, reporting errant operators so that action could be taken.

"The public should by now know the increases allowed by the Government. If they are charged higher, complain to the ministry," he said after flagging off a motorcycle treasure hunt at Nasim Sdn Bhd in Plentong here today.

The event was held in conjunction with the Nasim Peugeot Auto French Fair.The last time taxi fares were revised was in 1996, while stage and express bus fares were last revised in 2000.It was reported many stage bus operators had allegedly marked up their fares above the quantum fixed by the ministry, while taxi drivers imposed flat rather than metered rates.

Under the new fare structure, the fares for non-airconditioned stage buses are between 21.21 per cent and 33.33 per cent higher in peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, while in Sarawak the fares are between 20 per cent and 27.27 per cent higher.

For air-conditioned stage buses, the increase in peninsular Malaysia is between 16.66 per cent and 23 per cent, in Sabah between 21.05 per cent and 30 per cent, and in Sarawak between 18.18 per cent and 25 per cent.

For express buses, the increase nationwide is between 18.18 per cent and 25 per cent.The quantum is relatively lower than what bus and taxi companies and hire-car associations had sought, which was between 20 and 80 per cent.

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