THE MySchoolBus initiative in Kuala Lumpur has proven to be a resounding success, delivering benefits to a staggering 15,128 schoolchildren, as reported by transport expert Rosli Khan, who is advocating for its expansion. This recommendation comes as a response to declining school attendance in Perak, which has been attributed to the discontinuation of the Hup Yik bus service, citing high maintenance costs and low ridership as the primary reasons.
MySchoolBus was introduced by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) with a generous allocation of RM23 million and involved a fleet of 900 school buses.
According to FMT, Rosli, expressing bewilderment over the government’s allocation of RM600 million in the 2024 budget for Prasarana to acquire more feeder buses, highlighted the underutilisation of the current fleet and its limited benefit to users. He proposed that the substantial allocation could be more effectively employed to expand the highly successful MySchoolBus program on a nationwide scale.
Amali Munif Rahmat, the president of the Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia, suggested that this model could also offer much-needed support to bus operators struggling to sustain their businesses. Since the onset of the pandemic, more than half of these operators have been forced to close down.
One such operator, M Saravanan, attributed the primary reason for closing his school transportation service, which had been operational for 15 years in Kajang, to the dwindling ridership following the Covid-19 pandemic. He posited that there might be a lingering stigma surrounding the safety of school buses post-pandemic, leading some parents to opt for alternative transportation methods for their children. The availability of MRT buses in certain areas could also be contributing to this decline.
Amali voiced displeasure in the 2024 budget’s lack of government support for school bus operators and warned that, in the absence of such help, the sector may soon hit a tipping point where there are no more operators. The success of the MySchoolBus initiative and its potential for widespread expansion offers a glimmer of hope in addressing these concerns.
