KUALA LUMPUR: Express bus operators in the country are agonising over a steep fall in revenue during the ongoing Movement Control Order (MCO).
The companies now fear that the steep losses could lead to some 1,100 drivers in the peninsula losing their jobs.
Peninsula Malaysia Express Bus Operators Association (Pembawa) president Tajudin Mohd Yunus said that following the suspension of express bus services on March 20, bus operators are now living hand-to-mouth.
As such, he called upon the government not to further extend the MCO, which is slated to end on April 14.
“On the whole, the 18-member Pembawa, which operates 747 express buses, have seen zero income since receiving notification to cease operations two days before the March 20 deadline.
“Before this, some companies were earning between RM20,000 and RM50,000 daily, based on the number of buses they operated.
“The fate of over 1,100 bus drivers is affected, as they are not working, but bus operators still have to pay their salaries,” he said in a statement here today.
Tajudin said express bus companies must earn at least RM1,500 to RM2,000 to ensure daily capital return.
However, there are companies currently making a daily capital return of around RM500, due to high operating costs.
“The business industry scenario (now) is very difficult for entrepreneurs to garner any profit. If anything, there has been very little gain over the past two years.
"It is worse when there is no current income to cover huge amounts of debt amassed now, such as bus financing, borrowings and payment of staff salaries," he added.