It’s always best to book your flight or bus tickets weeks or even months in advance before a trip, especially if it’s for the holidays – else you’ll have to fork out extra. Unfortunately for this couple, despite booking their bus ticket a month in advance, they still ended up paying a hefty amount of money for a two-way trip.
The Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the Ministry of Transport to investigate and take action against an unnamed express bus company for allegedly charging high fares of up to RM862 for a two-way trip between Gopeng, Perak and Johor Bahru. According to Kosmo, the decision came after CAP received a complaint from a married couple.
It was reported that a man and his wife booked a two-way bus trip online last month to celebrate the Chinese New Year holiday. The couple was charged RM190 for the trip from Johor Bahru to Gopeng on Friday (9th February) and RM241 per person for the return trip yesterday (Tuesday, 13th February). The total amount should’ve been RM672 but the couple claimed that they’ve paid a total of RM862 for the two-way ride.
Senior Education Officer of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), NV Subbarow suspected that the bus company exploited their passengers during the holiday. “Some express bus companies earn huge money from users in the name of the festive celebration. Most of the people who ride the express bus are from the B40 group,” he added. As for which bus company allegedly overcharged the customers, the name was never disclosed.
The Ministry of Transport has yet to respond to CAP’s suggestion of setting up a consumer complaint counter for those who have been exploited by the express bus company during the Chinese New Year holiday. We hope that the couple and the other victims will be compensated for what happened to them.
Source: Kosmo
