Those who frequent public transport within the Klang Valley will be familiar with Metrobus. The company has been around since the early 1990s, but word is that it may soon be forced to close its doors.
According to a report by the Malay Mail, only 45 buses make up Metrobus’ current fleet, a far cry from the initial 425 buses it had 24 years ago. The company’s executive chairman, Ahmad Shah Wadood said it was necessary to sell its assets to keep the company buoyant.
He said that introduction of free bus services in Kuala Lumpur and other areas, such as the Selangor Smart Bus and Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) community bus service, are responsible for the decline.
Furthermore, the company has not been receiving money from the Interim Stage Bus Scheme Fund (ISBSF) despite numerous requests. The ISBSF, which ran from 2012, is an initiative by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to assist bus operators that are operating less profitable routes to continue providing their services to the public.
“We never received any official response,” Ahmad said. “We were told we are not entitled to the funds because we have a franchise licence from the Domestic Trade and Consumerism Ministry.” Currently, Metrobus services five routes in Puchong. This was because the company was told by SPAD to stop servicing routes under the Bus Network Revamp that was announced late last year.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Should the authorities do more to assist companies like Metrobus so it can continue to provide its bus services? Or will the revamp of the bus network in the Klang Valley see the extinction of these long-existing bus operators?
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Their drivers are really ruthless on the road. Racing with other buses and trucks!
MAS, Rayani Air, PROTON, Metrobus all cronies own company always end with losses… Time to closed shop and Ministry should stop wasting Rakyat taxes and pampering the Super Rich AP system owners !!!
I went to Lagos Nigeria buses there are better than Metrobus’. Nobody will miss you Metrobus.
Reluctant to invest and change with times. Procrastinate and comfort zone leads to failure of business
haha, well said.
Metro bus is an irresponsible bus company in terms of environment care, cleanliness and maintenance of its buses. To the CEO encik Ahmad, pack your bags, lousy CEO, you have been very poor at doing your work.
I can confirm this is a GOOD NEWS, justice served.
Lets be fair to them. If the route is not profitable that means no money can be generated. They are just doing a service to the public. Need to be reminded that they do not get government support when requested. Put yourself in the CEO position. No business, how to give good servicelah. This is pure public service by a company. If we want to bash we need to be fair alsolah.
agreed x 1001
Yes, there are some are nice drivers and conductors. But mostly are samseng pattern.
Especially pressing annoying horn which i believe the sound out of approved standard. the noise is hurting public ears
Metrobus = Loud & Smoky Exhaust
a good service bus, but the problem is the main bus driver who driving very fast like rushing time
Assist Metrobus? Definitely no.
Their service sucks.
Metrobus should be closed years ago. Its buses emit thick plume of black smoke and its seats, though cushiony, are old and dirty looking. Its drivers frequently race with each other to get ahead to scoop more passengers. 20 years ago, they maybe modern and as good as inter-state buses. But nowadays, with wear & tear, they have no place in any aspiring/ developed city.
Gud riddance. Now Prasarana can fully handle the routes with more sane drivers and buses that r not falling to pieces.
Metrobus however will still be alive, only now plying the intercity routes.
what thought? everybody knows what! “crony”.
We need to have smaller buses that travel more frequent in kelang valley as oppose to big buses…yup that’s our bus mini of the old days
Good thing though, since most of the drivers are not even local citizen, and really bad, bad driver
One of the problem the greed politician is to monopolize the business and yet can’t sustain, give license to individual bus operator and regulate the safety etc. interested people will put own investment to the bus and sustain as oppose now
Very, very few public transport service in the world can profit on its own.
PT is a public service, like school, hospital, army, police. They’re never meant to make profit. They’re meant to be funded by taxpayers’ funds to be operational.
Their KPI revolves elsewhere, like punctuality, frequency, breakdown/disruption, cleanliness of bus, polite, safe driver etc. That should be their concern, not profit.
It’s stupid as hell to go in it to make profit, hence idiot of the chairman to blame MBPJ’s free bus. He wanna make profit, go do business elsewhere. Good riddance.
Let some other more competent contractor take over to continue provide service.
Totally agree with you. Public transport around the world is usually subsidized for the benefit of the lower income group.
But some food for thought. The buses of yesteryears, ran by private companies like Toong Fong, Foh Hup etc all made profits before the Govt took over them. Even minibuses doing ok before they are ban too. Why???
Protek protek maruah tercabar
No its not becoz of that lazy, universal, ini semua salah BN/UMNO, excuse.
Back in those days, there r less cars so pipu go by bus, and if anyone old enuff to see those non-aircon buses (especially KL mini-bus), everyone is cram like sardin until conductor have to hang outside. Coupled with low running cost then, thats why they can make money at that time.
Nowadays buses need to be fully air-con otherwise no one will use it, and try cramming that much pipu like in minibus those days is asking for trouble not to mention dangerous. And then theres less pipu taking the bus except during peak hours. This is it became unprofitable for most routes.
U cannot compare govt services with services run by non-govt company. I doubt any non govt contractor want to provide services if they know they cannot get any profit.
They can profit out of it, but their revenue will be mostly from contract income, not fares collection from passenger.
They just need to be operator, the buses can be leased from Prasarana. Prasarana just need to set KPI to these contractors : punctuality, frequency, breakdown, customer service, etc.
This arrangement may seem to be Prasarana’s loss financially, but if the contractors meet the KPIs for satisfactory service, Prasarana gets the credit, contractors can cari makan, win-win.
This kinda arrangement is nothing new, it’s normal whether it’s bus, rail, ferry services where there is social need to serve, but inherently unprofitable to run.
The problem is, this is Msia. KPI, what KPI? Transparency, what transparency? Accountability, what accountability? Sigh.
Thats right.
Which is why most Public transportation is publicly funded with tax payer money through the government as caretaker.
Here, on the other hand, it is the complete opposite where crucial public transportation and its network is privatized. When these entities fail, they are bailed out by the tax payer again.
But that’s crony thinking. Cronies want to milk as much out of the system as they can.
When they make money is private profit, when they loose money, its public debt. And at the end of the day, the service sucks.
Good. Their bus is too old and always rosak then make traffic jam here in Puchong/SK
Good. Their bus’s are in shitty conditions and the drivers are rude and smoke inside, always.
If I write truth here then straight goes to blame for y blaming majority in this country.
This metro is dark scare on klang valley.no body is blind to c how they raping environment n how r these bus conditions.still blaming
Plz get rid of its drugged drivers as well who drive like maniacs… N who stop on the right lane to drop passengers
great news…
Finally…after so many years. Dem nuisance on the road..
If you cannot run a business profitably then just close shop. That is the right thing to do.
Please bring back the minibus. Still remembered it was 50cents per trip.
Minibus is more efficient compared to those super huge bus that always caused the jam.
RapidKL is way better. Metrobus is just nasty.
The big issue facing public transport is self driving cars. Within ten years we’ll have self driving taxis you can call on your smart phone app. No more car parks, no more traffic jams, no more buses and no more private cars. This is the future that the government should be preparing for.
Good to know this, this company bringing a bad image to public transport. The bus is dirty, air pollution and always drive like F1 driver. They should close it down asap.
Ya, get rid of these disgusting buses. CEO tarak buat kerja, company lingkup la. Simple as that.
Looks like the only thing he has done is write letters to the government asking for money. Ptui!!!
Good. finally.
Wonder how they bus can pass Puspakom inspection.
What a good riddance! What a great news this is! Metrobus drivers are so reckless and irresponsible, the accidents they caused and the roads (literally) they blocked! This is wonderful news!
Great, happy to hear this!
Metrobus drivers are ROAD BULLIES and always break simple traffic rules in Puchong!
Happy that they are going to closed down for good!
The worse busses and bus drivers on the road. good riddance to them. long overdue decision.
With the scrappy condition of the buses I wonder how does it get thru puspakom inspection with “Lulus”.
Wonder how..hmmmm.. Sad but true ..
The thing about commercial vehicles inspection are that its the bare necessity that matters.
As long as the chassis is intact, structure is sound, driveline is straight, and brakes and lightings works, Puspakom pipu wun even care about that 10 meter long deep dent/scratch on the body cuz its not structural.
They were given monoply for the serdang route for 2 months or so. First thing they did was to double the bus fare. Most drivers were Indons, and they run on trips. They offen collect cash but do not give tickets. Even with check point checks by their management, The buses were dirty and badly maintained. Even with hike up fares, the buses were pack like sardines but commuters still have to endure as it was the only ride home. Only after numerous complaints to SPAD did they bring back Rapid buses but cut down on the frequency of their trips so to enable Metro do survive. So Serdang folks now have to pay higher bus fares to Metro but yet have to tolerate the infrequent buses or rather lack of buses. A bus ride from KTM station is RM1.00 by Rapid but Metro charges RM1.70
Very good. Next sj bus… another moronic fleet of gangster of bus drivers
To be honest, I knew those drivers are from Sabah or Indon. No bus driver license. Their attitude is suck, I saw them bullied and robbed the Bangla in the bus after the last shift. And trying to disturb those young girl even myself get involved! They proposely to leave you behind and ask for another free ride then also ask for sex! Omfg, this is what our government like to feed this kind of shit.
Getting rid of loud horns and thick dark exhaust and driving the bus on footpath and causes of traffic blocks is indeed a great news!!!
Annyeong, Vaarwel, Paalam, Au Revoir, Sayonara, Tchau Metrobus…
Metrobus is same as those Taxi Drivers, never want to improve their service, yet making noise about the competitors. Have been using Bus as my main source of transport for more than 10 years. The way they maintain the bus is worst than others. On Cleanliness, we can give them -100 points. Luckily Rapid is there to save the day. Even though its not that perfect. Now with the LRT lines at puchong area is at completion stage, you guys better start looking for other source of income.
Remember how they wiped out other privately own bus company (Ho Hup, Toong Foong) and others when they came? It’s their own karma showing up on them.
The metrobus bus drivers should go driving ambulance or fire engine after their boss closed the company.
Since Metrobus stop their service for Gombak area, it is so hard for us the passenger to go to and fro to KL… There is simply not enough Rapidkl bus for Gombak area. We have to rush and stand like sardines everyday. For person that is old it is even harder as we have to stand all the way. With Metrobus we the bus are not too crowded we manage to get seats. Please come back to Gombak Metrobus!