We refer to the Malaysiakini report Najib: RapidKL subsidies to be withdrawn .

Bus Users Group (BUG), a bus commuters group started since 2007, condemns the withdrawal of the subsidies to RapidKL and RapidPenang which will set the scene for bus fare hikes across the board and burden the mostly low-income commuters. It runs counter to the government rhetoric of promoting public transportation. The target to reach 40% public transport ridership for KL will be a pipe dream andso will all other public transport targets in Penang and elsewhere.

We take exception to the rationales for abolishing the subsidies. If subsidising the RapidKL operations alone is unfair, why not extend the subsidies to all bus operators based on their passenger loads? Then the government cannot be said to be one-sided or being anti-private bus operators.

If the private operators cannot compete then it is due to their incompetence and lack of competitiveness. After all, most passengers were put off by the lack of maintenance and the unfriendly drivers’ attitude of these profit-oriented and in many instances, lawless private operators.'

We object to the cutting of subsidies for the public buses because even if subsidies need to be cut based on budgetary constraints, public transport subsidies should not be the priority target for such cuts. The reason is because public transport is an essential social service for the lower income groups.

Targeting them would become a step backward towards uplifting the economic status of the urban poor. In addition, public transport is a well-acknowledged town planning tool to cut down on air pollution, traffic congestion, energy wastage etc. In view of all these advantages, public subsidies for such an essential public service is universally accepted - why should the Malaysian government make an exception of itself and still insist that it is a `caring' government?'

We suggest that the government should look elsewhere to save on our financial outlays for example the wastage on mega projects especially the overpriced multi-million highway and bridge projects which hugely subsidise destructive car usage and the private vehicle users. After all, the government was the one who suggested an exchange involving the lifting of oil subsidies and channeling the earnings towards public transport improvement.

Some RM4 billion was said to have been saved in the first round of the oil price hikes but the government had since claimed that the subsidies cannot be all used for public transport because the earnings had been wiped out by subsequent international oil price hikes.

This is a bad case of non-delivery of a government promise. We must hold the government accountable for breaking this important promise. We call upon the government to rescind this decision to stop the bus subsidies immediately or face protests from disgruntled bus users.