By Hamidah Atan

PUTRAJAYA: The cabinet has agreed to subsidise 9,000 litres of diesel for every additional express bus operating during the month-long Hari Raya festive season starting Sept 15.

The move will cost the government between RM100 million and RM150 million.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said the cabinet agreed with the move to enable Muslims to celebrate Hari Raya with their families.

"We do not want anything that could disrupt balik kampung," he said after the launch of Bernama's Web TV by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday.

Shahrir said the move would encourage bus operators to increase the number of buses to cater for the Hari Raya rush.
About 1,900 additional buses were made available during last year's Hari Raya.

"We estimate the number of additional buses this year to exceed 2,000. This is a large subsidy by the government."

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators' Association president Datuk Ashfar Ali had said it could not force its 111 members to provide additional buses.

He said bus companies were reluctant to incur losses by offering additional bus services although bus tickets for the holiday season were already sold out.

Konsortium Transnasional, the nation's largest and most popular bus company, had taken this stance and others could be expected to follow suit.

Ashfar also said most bus companies were still facing problems getting the exact quota of subsidised diesel for their buses despite the government's assurance two months ago to look into this matter.

He said the government had also not looked into the association's request, made last October, for a 100 per cent rise in bus fares to offset rising operation costs.

The government last week approved a 30 per cent surcharge on tickets for express buses during the Hari Raya period.

Shahrir said the government might reduce fuel prices before Hari Raya.

"The world's prices are presently stable and I hope they will go down further. God willing, before Hari Raya, we may get this good news. Everybody, including myself, wants to see the prices reduced. Just pray that the world's oil prices do not go up."

On Aug 22, the pump price of petrol was reduced to RM2.55 from RM2.70 per litre (RON 97) and diesel to RM2.50 from RM2.58 per litre. addthis_pub = 'nstonline';