The Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit (Transit) said bus users do not deserve to be forever short-changed by seasonal expediencies to cut cost.
The non-governmental organisation said this following Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association's decision not to sell advance tickets for July and August for the coming Hari Raya period until the Land Public Transport Vehicle Commission (SPAD) agrees to allow a 30 per cent increase in ticket prices.
“If occupancy rates on both trip legs (inbound and outbound) are less than desired during the seasonal period, then the operators do not have the right to impose higher fares outside of the seasonal period.
“The present ceiling-based formula is problematic, because it assumes all routes incur the same operational expenditures, and incentivize operators with low ridership routes to cut corners to meet the bottom line,” said Transit in a press statement.
Transit also said that it is not in favour of a flat rate, ceiling-based fare structure that does not account for bus route variances in road and traffic conditions and ridership market.
Transit also stressed that it is not in favour of inflated ticket prices.
“This is because of the anti-competitive and collusion practices by operators who may be more motivated to cut corners, retain their licenses and restraint other potentially more competitive market players from entering the market, rather than to compete by increasing service quality.
“This is also because of the lack of route network rationalization by our transportation agencies to make the entire express bus network more efficient and competitive vis-a-vis the private auto use,” read the statement.
Transit said the criteria for licensing should be based on safety, service reliability and user satisfaction standards, and bus companies should compete, not collude with each other, to ensure they are really qualified to serve the routes they are currently serving.
“We would like to see more Integrated Transportation Terminals (that facilitates efficient transfers between regional highway buses and local rapid transit services) like BTS in other cities, so that bus companies can enjoy the same hub-and-spoke travel network efficiency seen in the airline industry.
“If the government is still considering to subsidize the express bus operators to ensure affordability to low income users, discount vouchers for low-income users should work better than one-time operational cash-out subsidies to operators.”
SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar had said he will make a decision regarding demands by bus operators to increase ticket prices before the coming Hari Raya period.
The non-governmental organisation said this following Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association's decision not to sell advance tickets for July and August for the coming Hari Raya period until the Land Public Transport Vehicle Commission (SPAD) agrees to allow a 30 per cent increase in ticket prices.
“If occupancy rates on both trip legs (inbound and outbound) are less than desired during the seasonal period, then the operators do not have the right to impose higher fares outside of the seasonal period.
“The present ceiling-based formula is problematic, because it assumes all routes incur the same operational expenditures, and incentivize operators with low ridership routes to cut corners to meet the bottom line,” said Transit in a press statement.
Transit also said that it is not in favour of a flat rate, ceiling-based fare structure that does not account for bus route variances in road and traffic conditions and ridership market.
Transit also stressed that it is not in favour of inflated ticket prices.
“This is because of the anti-competitive and collusion practices by operators who may be more motivated to cut corners, retain their licenses and restraint other potentially more competitive market players from entering the market, rather than to compete by increasing service quality.
“This is also because of the lack of route network rationalization by our transportation agencies to make the entire express bus network more efficient and competitive vis-a-vis the private auto use,” read the statement.
Transit said the criteria for licensing should be based on safety, service reliability and user satisfaction standards, and bus companies should compete, not collude with each other, to ensure they are really qualified to serve the routes they are currently serving.
“We would like to see more Integrated Transportation Terminals (that facilitates efficient transfers between regional highway buses and local rapid transit services) like BTS in other cities, so that bus companies can enjoy the same hub-and-spoke travel network efficiency seen in the airline industry.
“If the government is still considering to subsidize the express bus operators to ensure affordability to low income users, discount vouchers for low-income users should work better than one-time operational cash-out subsidies to operators.”
SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar had said he will make a decision regarding demands by bus operators to increase ticket prices before the coming Hari Raya period.
