A
public bus service provider and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) are
set to formally agree on a deal to improve public transport in and around Ipoh,
according to Perak Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.
“The bus service provider will prepare a timetable and
route lists within a month,” he said to The Star Online, adding that there
would be 16 routes.
However, he also said that there were requirements that
the service provider need to meet before the state would ink the agreement,
which falls under the umbrella of the Federal Government’s Stage Bus Service
Transformation (SBST) programme.
Dr Mah said that the
programme also gave authorities the right to set the operating costs of the
service provider, which in practice meant that revenue would go to SPAD and the
commission would then allocate funds to the provider accordingly, based on
distance covered.
“The operator will be paid a rate for every kilometre
covered by each bus,” Dr Mah added.
“We know that we cannot continue to serve some areas.
It’s not profitable.
Dr Mah also mentioned that manpower and training was an
issue that they would have to face.
“The
state is aware of these matters and will strive to improve the public
transportation system,” he said, adding that the operator would primarily be
judged by the state on the quality of its service.
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