Parents whose children take the bus to school need to prepare for more than just higher petrol prices and the GST – schoolbus fares are also going up by 30%.
This translates to an increase of about RM9 in monthly fares per student.
The Federation of Malaysian School Bus Operators (GPBSM) announced that beginning with the new school year, its members’ rates would go up across the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
GPBSM president Mohd Rofik Mohd Yusof told Harian Metro that the increase was agreed upon by all 18,000 members under his wing, and that it was overdue after a similar proposal fell through this year.
“We initially proposed an increase of 30% to come into effect after the past Chinese New Year, but it was rejected by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD),” he said.
Earlier this month, SPAD announced that it would remove federal caps on schoobus fares from January 1 2015 onwards, enabling operators to revise their pricing.
GPBSM had previously stated that its fare increase would not be unreasonable, and would be commensurate with rising operating costs.
Mohd Rofik cited the recent 20 sen price hike on fuel as a decisive factor in his union having to raise fares for the next school year.
Read:
Schoolbus fares might get more expensive next year
Schoolbus operators: we promise not to raise prices … too much
