JELEBU: Operators who were awarded contracts to run the rebranded stage bus services will have to buy new buses within six months, says Anthony Loke.

The Transport Minister said the operators will also have to paint their entire fleet in pink, install CCTV and the Global Positioning System (GPS) under the service known as BAS.MY.

He said if operators fail to get new buses within the given time, they will be penalised by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).

“Under the Stage Bus Service Transportation (SBST) programme, which will be introduced in all states except the Klang Valley and Penang, we will give priority to local and smaller operators.“This is better than giving such contracts to big players because if they run into problems, the service may be affected,” he said after launching the first BAS.MY service in the country covering Kuala Klawang, Kuala Pilah/Bahau and Port Dickson.

The service, which comes under Package B in Negri Sembilan, will be serviced by 44 buses of various sizes and two vans. Package A covers the rest of the state.Loke said both packages are awarded to local operators on merit by the Finance Ministry.

He said the Federal Government has allocated RM179.1mil for the SBST in Negri Sembilan alone for five years.

“The Federal Government has set aside a big allocation so that more people will use the service.

“In Negri Sembilan alone, we will be spending RM100,000 a day or RM3mil a month,” he said.

Loke said BAS.MY will be free for students, senior citizens and special needs individuals.

They will, however, be required to register with the service operator to be eligible.

He said for passenger convenience, there will be various modes of payments such as debit, credit and prepaid cards.

They will also be able to make payments using e-wallet.

Loke said as an added service, the appointed operator will be required to provide a door-to-door special service for individuals with limited mobility such as wheelchair-bound individuals for treatment at hospitals.

“We are starting this for those in Negri Sembilan under the MAS.MY Medik service.

“Those who require the service will only be charged a minimal amount,” he said.

Loke said Apad will monitor the SBST through GPS to ensure the buses run on schedule.

“If the operator fails to follow the schedule, we will deduct their payment,” he said.

He said the operators should run their trips on time irrespective of the passenger load as they are already being paid by the government.“They have no excuses to not run on time.

There are no risks for the operator even if the number of passengers in the bus is small as they were already paid for the service,” he said.Loke added that the trip frequency should be between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on the area.

He said if the SBST ridership increases, the government will have reasons to expand the service.Loke expressed hope that state governments will play their part in promoting SBST by upgrading bus terminals, bus stops and related infrastructure for the convenience of commuters.

As an example, he said that the main Terminal 1 bus station in Seremban is being upgraded to allow commuters to have a better experience with public transport.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/17/cctv-and-gps-a-must-on-board-loke-tells-stage-bus-operators