Hike in school bus fares should not burden parents

IT appears that not only the prices of raw materials and food are increasing, but school bus fares are also about to go up and it's definitely a headache for parents to cover the ever-increasing expenses.

The matter was confirmed by the Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia, which expected school bus fares for the new school term in March to increase.

Its president Amali Munif Rahmat said the increase occurred due to the increase in the cost of operation and maintenance of machinery, especially in urban areas like the Klang Valley.

However, he said, he was not sure of how much the fare increase will be because it varied according to operators, taking into account the business margin and the current situation.

In the meantime, the Transport Ministry received feedback from various parties regarding the proposed bus fare hikes for the new school term next March, but there has been no decision on it so far.

Its Deputy Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the matter needed to be studied first because it involved various parties, especially parents.

He said that there was currently no further discussion with any association or school bus operator.

The writer is confident that majority of parents, especially those with many children, will definitely disagree and want the school bus fare to remain as it is.

Maybe an increase at the minimum rate like RM5 is still acceptable, but if the amount of RM10 to RM20 as reported, then it is very high.

It is hoped that the responsible parties can help resolve this crisis by providing a win-win situation between school bus operators and parents.