KUALA LUMPUR 6 Okt. - Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD) memang menjangka berlakunya peningkatan aduan mengenai pengangkutan awam darat berikutan perkembangan ekonomi negara ketika ini.

Pengerusinya, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar berkata, peningkatan aduan itu juga mengesahkan apa yang dibimbangkan oleh kerajaan mengenai jumlah perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam darat yang tidak dapat menampung permintaan pengguna. Katanya, peningkatan aduan itu juga akan membolehkan SPAD mendapatkan maklum balas pengguna dan merangka strategi untuk meningkatkan kuantiti dan kualiti perkhidmatan awam darat di seluruh negara.
"Sebagai contoh, inisiatif yang diambil seperti penambahbaikan perhentian bas, pelaksanaan Bas Ekspres Transit dan pengintegrasian tiket diharap membuahkan hasil dalam masa yang terdekat.

"SPAD juga akan menambah dan menempatkan stesen pengangkutan awam di tempat yang padat dengan penduduk," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini. Beliau diminta mengulas laporan akhbar hari ini yang memetik Pusat Khidmat Aduan Pengguna Kebangsaan (NCCC) bahawa jumlah aduan mengenai perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam di negara ini semakin meningkat dengan purata 10 aduan sehari.

Pegawai Undang-Undang Kanan NCCC, M. Matheevani berkata, dalam tempoh lapan bulan pertama tahun ini, pihaknya menerima 1,160 aduan berbanding 2,024 kes sepanjang tahun lalu.Antara aduan tersebut ialah kekerapan berlakunya kelewatan perkhidmatan, gangguan perkhidmatan, rosak di tengah landasan, kekerapan gangguan bagi kad kaunter, masalah kad Touch & Go dan lebihan caj oleh konduktor.Selain itu, pengguna juga mengadu mengenai khidmat pelanggan yang buruk dan tiada pampasan atau mengembalikan wang kepada pengguna jika kesilapan dilakukan oleh pihak penyedia perkhidmatan.

Presiden Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Pan Malaysia, Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali, berkata dasar itu memberikan propek dan penyelesaian berkaitan isu pengangkutan khasnya pengangkutan awam.

"Tanpanya, pengguna tidak tahu apa yang diharapkan dan pengusaha tidak tahu yang diharapkan oleh mereka (pengguna), dan pihak berkuasa tidak tahu cara-cara untuk melaksanakan sistem tersebut," katanya kepada pemberita di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata dasar itu boleh digabungkan dengan Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA) dan Pelan Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP).

Ashfar juga berkata kerajaan juga perlu mengkaji dasar sekarang yang berkaitan dengan pengusaha bas agar mereka boleh membekalkan perkhidmatan paling baik kepada pengguna.

"Telah banyak bas beroperasi, dan kerajaan masih mengeluarkan permit kepada pengusaha bas baru, ia mesti diberhentikan kerana terlalu banyak dalam pasaran dan ia merupakan satu jenayah akibat pembaziran sumber," katanya.

Bagi membolehkan pengusaha bas itu beroperasi dengan menguntungkan, Ashfar berkata ia hendaklah memberikan ruang kepada perniagaan itu sendiri khasnya mengawal jumlah perkhidmatan harian.

Malah, kerugian jutaan ringgit dianggarkan berlaku kesan daripada penutupan syarikat berkenaan yang menjadi nadi penggerak ekonomi di sesuatu kawasan khususnya pedalaman.

Bimbang dengan keadaan itu, Persatuan Pengusaha-pengusaha Bas SeMalaysia (PMBOA) menggesa kerajaan mewujudkan Polisi Pengangkutan Awam Negara dalam usaha membantu pengusaha bas meningkatkan perkhidmatan mereka.

Presidennya, Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali berkata, polisi berkenaan dapat mengembalikan semula kepercayaan pengguna terhadap khidmat pengangkutan awam sekali gus menjana pendapatan pengusaha.

“Pengusaha memerlukan satu polisi yang tetap dan tidak berubah-ubah seperti yang berlaku kini. Ia penting supaya pengguna tahu apa mereka boleh harapkan dengan perkhidmatan kami, pengusaha pula tahu apa perlu dilakukan dan pihak berkuasa tahu apa mereka perlu laksanakan.

“Kini pengangkutan awam menjadi masalah kedua terbesar negara, dan perkhidmatannya jauh terkebelakang berbanding negara lain. Bagaimana kami hendak fokus dalam memberikan perkhidmatan terbaik sekiranya sesuatu dasar akan berubah mengikut pertukaran menteri (Menteri Pengangkutan),” katanya pada sidang medianya bersama Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) bagi mendesak kerajaan memberi tumpuan meningkatkan sistem pengangkutan awam, di sini, semalam.

Asfar (right) says house buyers sometimes wait for years before they can get a bus to their neighbourhood. With him is Marimuthu. — Picture by Nik Rosli Ishak

PETALING JAYA: The Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association calls for a National Transport Policy to improve the services of public transport.

In a joint press conference with the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca), its president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali said the policy would serve as an indicator of how public transport operators should run their services.

"With the policy, we will know clearly what is expected from us. Passengers would also know what they can expect from us.

"It will also keep us informed as local authorities have information on the population sector needing our services.

"One example is providing bus services to a new residential scheme. The current practice is to have a certain area developed first before planning for public transport services there. House buyers would have to wait, sometimes for years, before they can get a bus to their neighbourhood," Ashfar said.

He said the local authorities can project the need for public transport as they have the information on developments.

This will help prepare operators to extend their routes to the areas.

The Government, under the Budget 2011 has proposed a service tax on paid TV broadcasting services.

This essentially means that Astro All Asia Networks (Astro) subscribers will likely pay 6% service tax on top of their monthly bills starting Jan 1, next year. For instance, a subscriber who pays RM100 per month or RM1,200 yearly for Astro services, will have to pay an additional RM6 per month or RM72 per year as service tax.

“The additional cost will be felt by the end-consumers. In this case, they don’t really have a choice because most people who subscribe to Astro won’t be able to do without it,” said a local bank-backed analyst.

It is understood that the service tax is only applicable for paid TV broadcasting services and does not extend to paid Internet protocol TV (IPTV) services such as Redtone International Bhd’s DeTV and Telekom Malaysia Bhd’s HyppTV.

Analysts said that placing service tax on IPTV players would curtail the Government’s move to increase broadband penetration in the country under its high-speed broadband project and national broadband initiatives.

“IPTV is still in its infancy stage here. In line with the Government’s broadband initiative, we see the emphasis on new media, which is a catalyst of growth,” said an analyst.

Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohd Idris said pay TV customers were individuals who could afford to pay for the subscription and by extension, the service tax imposed.

If subscribers felt the pinch, then they could choose to terminate the subscription. The only drawback would be for subscribers who were bound by a contract period with the service provider and would have to pay a penalty to terminate the service, Mohd Idris added.

PETALING JAYA: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has revoked the licences of the two bus companies involved in the fatal road accidents last month.

The two bus companies involved in horrific crashes along the Simpang Ampat and Genting Sempah, respectfully, had claimed 20 lives between them.

However, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said such action was not in line with finding a long-term solution to the problem.
Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali referred the CVLB's decision to revoke the licences as a much-needed call to raise the need for safety focus within the public transport industry.

"It is a wakeup call to all of them. It shows the government is serious to raise safety levels within the industry.

"I advise all express bus operators and their drivers to buck up and abide by the Safety, Health and Environment code in the future," he told The Malay Mail.

But Ashfar Ali was puzzled by why Syarikat Taipan Suria (MM2H) Sdn Bhd, the company behind the chartered bus crash on Oct 29, escaped harsher action despite being found to have only 13 of its 99 chartered buses approved by CVLB.

It is understood the company surrendered the rights of the other 86 charter buses to a third party for a fee. Not surprisingly, the bus involved in the accident along KM36 of the Karak Highway was outsourced to a third party.

"The authorities must investigate the basis of which the licences were approved to this company. How could they outsource their licences and not get caught?

"I urge the authorities to conduct more rigorous investigations on bus operators from now on."

The Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit Malaysia (TRANSIT) chairman Muhammad Zulkarnain Hamzah said the government's decision to revoke the licences was a knee-jerk reaction.