KUALA LUMPUR: A new ruling by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) allowing express bus tickets to be sold only through licensed terminals from Nov 1 has caught bus operators and ticketing agents nationwide by surprise.
Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali said the association had received a letter informing it of the ruling, but claimed no consultation or discussion had been held with bus operators.
He said the change had raised concerns among operators who had invested in developing their own websites and ticketing systems to facilitate ticket purchases.
"We were surprised by the latest announcement as many of our members sell tickets through their own platforms, with some having developed websites that allow passengers to buy tickets directly.
"Bus operators would then obtain QR codes from the terminals to speed up the boarding process.
"We do not know the reason for the change. I received the letter last week," he said when contacted here today.
He said passengers previously had three options for buying express bus tickets: directly at terminals, through online ticketing agents or via bus operators' websites.
"We have therefore requested a meeting with Apad to clarify the matter," he said.
According to a circular issued to bus operators, the ruling involves granting terminals exclusive rights to sell tickets and introducing a new commercial fee structure.
The circular states that express bus terminals have exclusive rights over ticket sales to passengers using their services.
As a result, trip management, departures and sales transactions fall under the full responsibility of the express bus terminals.
Commercial fees for digital platform services will be charged directly to express bus operators rather than passengers.
Meanwhile, Apad confirmed the new ruling when contacted, saying the directive was issued on Oct 16.
However, it said tickets could still be purchased through online travel agencies (OTAs) or bus operators' websites if the terminals were owned by the operators themselves.
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