Balik kampung express bus tickets selling fast

SHAH ALAM: As Muslims prepare to celebrate Aidilfitri in less than two weeks, express bus tickets to all destinations in Peninsular Malaysia are selling fast.

A Bernama check at Terminal 17, in Section 17 here, found that express bus tickets to the east coast, especially to Kelantan, which were on sale from April 1, were sold out compared to other states.

The bus terminal was relatively quiet with only a few passengers buying tickets.

Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) Corporate and Public Relations Division head Shahrin Ahmad said as of today, 11,392 tickets have been sold, with the majority of customers not resorting to last-minute buying.

"They (passengers) bought their tickets on the first day of ticket sales. Tickets sales are very encouraging this year compared to last year as there were still several movement restrictions then," he told Bernama when contacted today.

Shahrin said this year, 45 per cent of tickets were purchased online and the rest over the counter, with tickets sales increasing this week.

Meanwhile, food deliveryman Zulazham Mohd Rayes, 36, when met here said he bought a ticket to Alor Star, Kedah on April 30 April on behalf of a friend and found that there were still tickets available to the north, however, these tickets were only available for travel on selected days.

"My friend decided to use public transport to travel back for cost-saving reasons rather than using own transport. This year too, many are returning home (kampung) to celebrate, so traffic will be heavy," he said.

Norasmat Ahmad, 28, a clerk, said she has bought her bus ticket on the first day of tickets sales for April 28 to return to Jerantut, Pahang.

"I bought my ticket early as I was worried tickets would run out. I bought it as soon as the government announced that there would be no travel restrictions for Aidilfitri," she added.

-- BERNAMA