KUCHING, April 17: The setting up of “Pertubuhan Pemilik Bas Sekolah Muara Tuang Kuching” or Association of School Bus Owners within the Muara Tuang area will help to assist the school bus owners affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Habitat for Indigenous and Urban Programme (Hidup) George Young Si Ricord Jr, who is also the mentor and advisor to the association, said the setting up of the association was mooted after he was contacted by the bus owners informing him about their plight.
“The setting up of the Association is to address specific challenges of these schools bus owners especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) whereby their monthly income and livelihood were drastically affected.
“It will provide an avenue for the members to consolidate and strengthen their effort to raise funds from corporate bodies and government agencies,” he said in a statement, today.
He noted during the closure of schools for the entire duration of 2020, the majority of the bus owners had to find alternative employment to support their family and the monthly installment of the buses.
According to him, even with the recent reopening of schools within the Muara Tuang and Samarahan districts, their income has not improved much as many parents are still reluctant to send their children to schools.
“To make ends meet, most of the bus owners are still doing multiple jobs and the recent spike in Covid-19 cases within the district doesn’t augur well for these schools bus owners,” he added.
George also conveyed his gratitude to the Registrar of Society (RoS) for assisting and providing guidance during the certificate application process.
Meanwhile, during the handover ceremony, Hidup with their corporate partner, One Cent Sdn Bhd, introduced the Digital Entrepreneur Programs to the members of the Association.
One Cent representative Alvin Chung said this platform would provide an opportunity to supplement the income of the members and indirectly generate funds for the Association.
“The Association is set up as a means of addressing this with the objectives of a concerted effort to promote greater welfare awareness among their members, to enable the raising of funds from relevant government and regulatory bodies, and established guidelines for a collaborative effort with associations of a similar nature,” he said.
On the same note, the “Pertubuhan Pemilik Bas Sekolah Muara Tuang Kuching” chairman Jimmy Holiday hoped that the State Ministry of Transportation would provide monetary assistance to the association’s bus owners to reduce their burden after being affected by the pandemic.
“It is hoped that the State Ministry of Transportation can provide a one-off grant to this newly established “Pertubuhan Pemilik Bas Sekolah Muara Tuang Kuching” to ease the members’ financial burden,” he said. — DayakDaily
