FOMCA wants SPAD to fix school bus fares

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) wants the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to set a ceiling for school bus fares to prevent operators from raising them.

FOMCA vice-president, Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said SPAD should control fares set by school bus operators, even if they previously never adhered to prices set by the government.

"School bus operators cannot determine the fares because the income of parents differ in urban and rural areas...the most appropriate party to set the school bus fares is SPAD," he said when contacted by Bernama here on Monday.

He was asked to comment on Federation of Malaysian School Bus Operators Association president Amali Munif Rahmat's statement in recent newspaper reports that school bus fares were expected to increase between 30 and 50 per cent when the new school session began.

Last October, the setting of a ceiling price for school bus fares was stopped and parents, schools and school bus operators were given the option to determine the fare while SPAD's role was merely as observer.

Mohd Yusof said bus operators also needed to take into account the burden on parents due to the rising cost of living, and the best way was to find a 'win-win' solution between parents and school bus operators.

According to him, basic school bus fares gazetted under the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board had earlier played an important role in regulating bus fare because operators could not fix it arbitrarily.

"Spad should act decisively on this issue and not succumb to pressure from bus operators as there are some among them who have prescribed fares exceeding 30 per cent of the ceiling price set," he noted.