By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 18: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) Sarawak has addressed concerns over the recently announced fares for the BAS.MY Kuching service, clarifying that previous stage bus fares were capped at RM1 due to Sarawak government subsidies.
CVLB Sarawak chairman Michael Kong explained that the Sarawak government had implemented a RM1 flat rate for all stage buses, but this was later adjusted to only apply to routes within 40km from the main starting point.
“Buses travelling beyond this distance, such as those heading to Serian, were not covered under the RM1 fare initiative.
“With the rollout of the BAS.MY Kuching initiative by the federal government, the Sarawak government had also indicated that it would gradually withdraw subsidies for buses whose routes partially or wholly overlap with those of the new service,” he claimed in a statement after launching the BAS.MY Kuching service office near Open Air Market today.
To mitigate the impact of these changes, CVLB Sarawak introduced the My50 programme, which offers unlimited rides on BAS.MY Kuching buses for a fixed monthly fee of RM50.
“My50 grants unlimited rides on all BAS.MY Kuching buses for 30 days, offering passengers a cost-effective and convenient travel option,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Biaramas Express Sdn Bhd has officially opened its service office near Open Air Mart (9 Market Street, above 7 Eleven) to assist the public with My50 concession fare registration. Interested individuals only need to bring their NRIC for registration.
Additionally, concession cards for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (OKU), and students are now available. Applicants must bring their NRIC (and OKU card, if applicable), while students will need an additional letter from their educational institution.
The BAS.MY Kuching service, launched on March 5 along Route Q10 (Open Air Market – Serian), marked the rebranding of the Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) Programme under the federal government’s initiative. The rollout will be implemented in phases until April 2025.
According to Biaramas Express (Bus Asia) Sdn Bhd director, Lai Sin Kiong, a registration counter at the location is open to the public from 8am to 12pm throughout this month. Afterward, applicants can register at the Bus Asia office, located near the traffic lights at the Open Air Market.
On the first day of registration, 46 applicants successfully signed up. At the event, Kong also presented a concession card to retiree Afandi Nordin, making him the first official recipient of the BAS.MY Kuching concession card.
Kong assured the public that CVLB Sarawak will continue to monitor feedback and address concerns regarding the new bus fare structure.
“We welcome all suggestions on how we can further enhance the bus service for the benefit of the people of Kuching,” he added. — DayakDaily
