Smart Selangor bus service will no longer be free for non-Malaysians from next year

Smart Selangor buses will no longer be free for foreigners. — Filepic

FOREIGNERS will be charged RM1 per ride on Smart Selangor buses starting sometime next year.

The free bus service that started July 1,2015, has 138 buses plying 43 routes.

State local government, public transportation and new village development executive councillor Ng Sze Han said the mechanism to differentiate between locals and foreigners was yet to be finalised.

“We may use MyKad. But we are thinking of other alternatives as many students do not carry their MyKad with them.

“On the mode of payment, we are looking at cashless transactions, ” he said.

Ng said claims that the majority of Smart Selangor bus users are foreigners was not true.

“In a survey done from January to September, only 2% of Smart Selangor commuters in Hulu Selangor and 9% of Smart Selangor commuters in Shah Alam were foreigners.”

Ng said the state and local authorities had spent RM81mil and RM25mil respectively, since the initiation of the Smart Selangor bus service until Sept 30 this year.

He said the state could still afford to fund the programme with the collaboration of 11 local authorities and encouraged the councils to eventually take over the service.

He welcomed the Federal Government to take over the responsibility or give grants to ensure the bus service remains to benefit the people.