Taxi Ride To Cost More

and school buses

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By Minderjeet Kaur [email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Every time Shukor Waheed travels from Bangsar to Petaling Jaya new town by taxi, he forks out RM7. From Aug 1, he will have to dig deeper into his pockets and come up with RM14. This is because fares for taxis, stage buses and schoolbuses will go up from

that date. And if he were to phone for a taxi to pick him up, he will have to pay an additional RMZ. Currently, the fee is only RM1. Understandably, Shukor is unhappy. He says he will have to take the Light Rail Transit, or resort to car pooling, to ensure that the transport fare hike announced yesterday by Minister in the Prime Minister's

Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz does not hit him too hard.

Nazri, aware of such a reaction from commuters, said the increase in fares was inevitable. However. he said the authorities would monitor bus and taxi operators to ensure they provided a more efficient service.

He said the new fares were fixed after talks with various groups and public transport operators. Nazri said those using tads would have to pay RM3, instead of the present RM2, when they board a taxi. They will have to pay 10 sen for every subsequent 115 metres trav'elled. Currently, they are charged 10 sen for every additional 150 metres travelled. Parents will have to pay a minimum fare of RM27.43 plus RM2 for each subsequent kilometre in schoolbus fare. Now they pay a minimum of RM21.10 plus RM1.55 per additional kilometre.

Joyous reaction from taxi drivers after hearing the news that taxi fares will go up from Aug 1. NST picture by Sairien Nafis

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Those taking stage buses will have to pay between RM1 and RM3.10. The fare now is between 75 sen and RM2.10.

However, the fares will be different in different parts of the country and the

operators have been told to display the fare structure clearly for the convenience of passengers.There will also be a different fares for air-conditioned and non-airconditioned buses.

To make bus travel more comfortable, he said, the government had asked operators to install air-conditioning systems in all stage buses by next year. Express buses will not be raising their fares as they had done so at the end of last year.A trip from Kuala Lumpur to lpoh

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No more extra 20.sor charge tr

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now costs RMfZ.+0, up from theprevious RM13.40. Nazri said to alleviate the impact of the fare hike, the government had asked express bus operators to offer a 25 per cent discount for the disabled and those above 60 years ofage. He said taxi operators had

been told to drop the exha charge of 20 sen each for the passenger

third and fourth

and the RM1 charge for lugBage.

Saying he was aware the price hike would not go down well with the public, the minister added: "It is not to burden thepeople. "But if we do not increase it, operators will lose money and

Zone 3

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close shop.

"There might not be such services anvmore." Nazri saii this after handing

MiniBus

over 800 taxi permits to taxi drivers. There a.re about 8,000

individual taxi permit holders, while 24,000 taxis are owned bycompanies.

(ah
The last fare increase was in 2005. Over the last few vears. bus and taxi operators" have

(n"a:bylide)

...

for a fare hike, saying operating costs

tickets using the e-ticketing

and taxi drivers would

system.

asked to undergo haining to

including fu el and maintenance gone up significantly. -had Express bus operators, he said, had been told to use the

Theywill also have to switch drivers after every four hours, or every 300kn oftravelling. Naai said a data bank would be set up to keep hack of drivers and operators. Bus

improve road ethics.

been clamouring

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Global Positioning System to

back their vehicles and to sell

be

"Those caught breaking road rules will be $ven three warnings, after which we will blacklist them and cancel their business or driving permits. "