PETALING JAYA: The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will impose a 90-sen nominal fee to foreigners using its free Petaling Jaya City Bus service starting this month.
Mayor Mohamad Azhan Md. Amir said this was in accordance with the decision by the Selangor state government recently.
He said there was a need to impose a nominal fee on foreigners as the free bus service was meant to help locals.
"The bus service was introduced to prioritise and benefit local people but as of late, there are more foreigners using it.
"Annually we spend RM6 million to operate the PJ City Bus service, hence with the collection of 90 sen from foreigners using the service will contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of the buses," Azhan said.
He added that he was aware of comments condemning the decision but felt that the decision needed to go forwards as the funds allocated to operate the buses comes from the council's annual budget.
Azhan also said that as of now, MBPJ has 22 buses in operation with an average annual ridership of 4 million users.
The Selangor state government originally proposed the fee regulation in 2021, with the exco in charge of local government, Ng Sze Han, claiming it was to fund state and local government expenditures.
The decision was met with criticism in which the Selangor government leaders have defended, saying the free commuter service is meant for Malaysians, just as schools and public hospitals are to cater for citizens.