FOR years, express bus commuters had to put up with ticket touts at the Shahab Perdana Bus Terminal in Alor Star, Kedah.
Mohd Shakirin Ismail, who commutes between his college to his home in Penang every fortnight, said the touts would approach passengers the moment they stepped into the terminal.
Shakirin said when he tried to ignore them, the touts would
keep asking where he was heading for.
“It is annoying. As a passenger, I prefer to buy the ticket at the counter so that I can decide which bus and departure time suits me. But the touts would pester you until you entertain them.”
He said, more often than not, the ticket touts would misled passengers into believing the bus they were offering would leave right away, but, in most cases, passengers were made to wait, especially on weekdays.
He said the authorities would carry out enforcement operations at the terminal from time to time, but the touts would be back the next day.
However, things seemed to have improved this month.
A check by the New Straits Times on Saturday evening, one of the busiest times at the terminal, showed that there were no ticket touts.
Shazri Akmal Maruli, 19, who frequently travels from Alor Star to Penang, said he was usually approached by a man who carried a small pouch containing tickets to several destinations at the bus terminal.
“I’m not sure what time the touts operate. I come here around 5pm. They would approach me offering tickets even before I could reach the ticket counters. Some would approach me the moment I stepped out of a taxi.
“When I first came here several months ago, I had no idea who they were. Without thinking twice, I bought a ticket back to Penang.
“I handed him RM13.10 (the price the ticket is sold at the ticket counter) and he produced a ticket from a pouch he carried. That was the only time I bought a ticket from a tout.”
Shazri, who is studying at Kolej Poly-Tech Mara here said he
preferred to buy tickets over the counter.
Nurul Asyikin Othman, 27, who travels between Alor Star and Kuala Lumpur for work, said the touts should only be allowed to sell and promote their tickets at the counters.
“I couldn’t tell the difference between the tickets promoters and illegal touts, so I would usually ignore them and head for the counters.
“I do not want to take any risk buying tickets from the illegal vendors,” she said.
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In response, a spokesman with the northern Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) said it had been carrying out operations at the terminal, based on complaints from the public.
The spokesman acknowledged that the ticket touts would return after each operation.
However, he said, things may change, especially after a ticket tout at the terminal was slapped with RM3,000 fine by the Alor Star Magistrate’s Court this month.
The accused, a clerk with one of the express bus companies, was fined after pleading guilty to a charge under Section 205(1) of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 for touting at the terminal last
year.
“We hope the fine will serve as a lesson to other ticket touts at the terminal,” said the spokesman, adding that SPAD would continue to monitor the bus terminal.
He also urged the public to report to the commission immediately if they were approached by ticket touts at the terminal.