THE Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia has denied plans to raise fares following the diesel rationalisation exercise. Its president, Amali Munif Rahmat said drivers do not raise fares without good reason.

Speaking to Malay news portal Majoriti, he said fare hikes were not driven solely by diesel prices.

“If we were to increase our fares, it would be due to operational costs, such as the cost of black oil, tyres, spare parts, and workshop fees. As long as operators can bear the costs, we will not raise fares,” he said.

Amali was responding to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had warned school bus operators against raising fares amid a rise in the price of diesel.

Anwar said drivers who raised their fares at this time would have their licence revoked.

“I’m warning you. Your diesel is subsidised, and if you raise the price, you’ll face consequences. If you increase fares while receiving a subsidy, we will revoke your licence and impose conditions,” Anwar had said.

Amali said the statement was a ‘threat” to the school bus operators.

“The move to withdraw and revoke licences is a backward step in the current state of the country, which is facing a shortage of school buses,” Amali said.

“The government should focus on ensuring that problems in the implementation of the subsidised diesel control system are properly addressed, including by extending diesel subsidies to school bus operators nationwide.”

Questions have arisen over diesel subsidy quotas, the transparency of the payment process at petrol stations, and problems in the registration process for a diesel subsidy.

“Settle these issues first. Don’t threaten us. If we stop driving 16,000 school buses nationwide, 1.5 million pupils will be unable to get to school,” he said.

He said many operators in Sabah and Sarawak are unable to obtain subsidies because they are registered with the local authorities instead of the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

“There are also school buses owned by cooperatives registered with the Malaysian Cooperative Commission or buses for orphanages registered with the Registrar of Societies,” he said.

 Amali estimated more than 3,000 of the total 16,000 school buses operating in Malaysia are still not registered under the new system. – June 15, 2024.