JOHOR BARU: Tour bus operators in Johor are struggling to stay afloat as the lack of diesel subsidies continues to expose them to volatile fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Johor chapter chairman Edwin Tay said the current situation has left many operators in a difficult position where they are forced to absorb rising fuel costs after providing quotations to customers.
“Every week, diesel prices change, which makes it very difficult for us to provide accurate quotations,” he said in a press conference here yesterday.
“I cannot give a fixed price because a new diesel rate is announced every Wednesday.
“If I quote a price now, I could end up absorbing the losses myself.
“Before the diesel price increase, a full tank for a tour bus would cost around RM700, and now it costs more than RM1,400.
“Unlike school buses and express buses, we do not receive any diesel subsidies from the government. So, we have to cover the extra costs ourselves.”
Tay, who owns nine buses of various sizes, said that operators are also suffering losses for pre-existing bookings.
He explained that some customers book tours at the last-minute while others place bookings six months ahead.
As such, it makes it difficult for operators to calculate a fare in advance.
He hopes the government will introduce a fixed diesel price, even if only for three to six months, to give tourism players some stability.
Tay suggested that the government offer the tourism industry a short-term fixed fuel rate like the Special Relief Facility (SRF), a type of low-interest loan to help operators, particularly those running coach services, to cope with rising operational costs.
On another matter, he said Malaysian tour operators are facing prolonged delays in obtaining public service vehicle (PSV) permits to ferry tourists into Singapore.
“In the past, approvals typically took about a week, but since October last year, our members have experienced significant delays, with some having to wait up to two months,” he said.
The shortage of approved buses has made it difficult to plan and execute Malaysia-Singapore tour packages efficiently.
He said the association has written to Singapore’s Land Transport Authority seeking clarity so operators can plan more effectively.
