Rawang folks protesting against the disrupted bus service in Taman Garing.
DISRUPTED bus service for up to three years in more than 20 areas in Rawang has raised concerns on how the state is planning to solve the problem.
Taman Garing residents in Rawang recently held a protest over the bus service disruption, which affects about 20,000 people.
Rawang assemblyman Gan Pei Nei said she had sent a letter to Transport Ministry in August, asking for the mini-bus service to be continued in Kuala Garing, Bukit Rawang Jaya, Taman Tun Teja and Taman Pelangi.
Gan had earlier met up with bus operator Setara Jaya Sdn Bhd and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) but no solutions were forthcoming.
She pointed out that RM142.7mil was allocated this year under the Interim Stage Bus Support Fund (ISBSF), which is managed by SPAD.
“Buses that ply social routes do not make money and this is where the ISBSF comes in.
“Two bus operators, which are Wawasan Sutera Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd and Seranas Sdn Bhd in Selangor, have received allocations under ISBSF.
“Another company, Setara Jaya Sdn Bhd, which is also based in Selangor, has received ISBSF allocation for Kuala Lumpur,” said Gan.
Selayang MCA Youth chief Chan Wun Hoong, meanwhile, said that if the state was concerned about the people, it should allocate a budget for the bus service to be continued in the residential areas.
“Do not just blame the bus operator, SPAD or the Transport Ministry. If the bus operator is losing money all the time, how can they operate?” he asked.
“The state representative should look into ways of solving the people’s problems and not lay blame.
“Selayang MCA will meet with the bus operator and SPAD as soon as possible to try and resolve this issue,” he said.
Chan explained that SPAD was under the Prime Minister’s Department and the Transport Ministry had already forwarded the letter to the said department on the issue.
“I hope the residents will be patient,” he added.
Selayang MIC chief M.B Raja said that he had also sent a letter on Sept 1 to Transport Ministry about the disrupted bus services.
In his letter, he said about 45% of people in the Selayang parliamentary constituency did not posses their own transport while 65% of the population were senior citizens and relied on public transport.
He also wanted the disrupted bus services resumed as soon as possible.
“I feel the state government should resolve this problem by providing Selangor Smart Bus services for Rawang residents if bus operators are not willing to ply the routes there,” said Raja.
Apart from Taman Garing, he said areas affected included Desa Kuala Garing, Taman Garing Permai, Taman Sri Rawang, Taman Garing Jaya, Bukit Rawang Jaya 2, New Green Park, Rawang Garden, Taman Rawang Jaya, Taman Sri Hijau, Taman Bersatu, Kampung Lee Kim Sai, Taman Tun Perak, Taman Jati, Taman Muhibbah, Taman Kanching, Taman Setia Rawang, Kampung Melayu Batu 16, Taman Rawang Perdana, Bandar Country Homes, Taman Pelangi Industrial Area, Kota Emerald East and West, Sungai Bakau and Taman Velox are affected by the bus service disruptions.
Setara Jaya Sdn Bhd operations manager Harmek Singh Nik said the company had previously serviced these areas as part of its social obligations.
“Now SPAD does not allow us to ply these routes. As for the ISBSF funds, we do not get it from SPAD for these routes either,” he said.
