AS the festive season approaches, the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) is keeping a close eye to check rampant hikes of bus fares by transporters.
And, given the fact that the season
normally experiences high number of travellers to upcountry regions, the
transport industry regulator said it will issue temporary permits to
bus operators to provide services during the period.
“The authority has put this measure in
place to reduce pressure on available buses since the number of
passengers during the end of year festive season is usually high,”
SUMATRA’s Director of Licence Regulations, Mr Mohammed Zander, said
during a programme on a local radio station.
Mr Zander went on to explain that the
issuance of the temporary licences will commence on December 1, this
year, to cover the festive season. The Director was, however, quick to
add that the permits will be issued only to buses whose safety in
transporting passengers has been certified by the authority.
In order to check the rampant fare
hikes, he advised prospective passengers to purchase tickets from
authorized vendors and avoid middle-men and touts, who are fond of
increasing the charges.
“Our officers usually inspect ticket
books at the vending stations owned by bus operators and thus cases of
passengers being cheated are very minimal,” the SUMATRA official
explained.
Mr Zander warned transporters of legal
actions should they charge higher prices than those prescribed by the
transport industry regulator. During the same period last year, 21 buses
transporting passengers to upcountry regions were fined by SUMATRA for
hiking fares
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