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SINGAPORE – Malaysian coach operator Aeroline, which provides trips between Singapore and Malaysia, will temporarily suspend all its trips between Nov 6 and Dec 5.<\/p>\n
The suspension was directed by Malaysia\u2019s Land Public Transport Agency (Apad), and is because the operator continued dropping off passengers at its own locations instead of doing so at a centralised bus terminal, according to a notice on Aeroline\u2019s website and social media pages on Nov 1.<\/p>\n
Passengers who had already booked tickets during that period can either obtain a full refund, or hold on to their ticket for another date, it said, adding that it is appealing the suspension, which could affect some Singaporean travellers given the year-end school holidays begin on Nov 22. <\/p>\n
\u201c…We hope it will give the government some time to realise the contribution Aeroline provides to society by enabling our passengers to experience seamless and convenient point-to-point journeys, which we have done in the past 23 years,\u201d the notice said.<\/p>\n
The centralised bus terminal – Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, which translates to southern integrated terminal, is located almost 13km away from Kuala Lumpur\u2019s city centre.<\/p>\n
Google Maps indicates that it would take close to an hour to get from the bus terminal to the city centre using public transport.<\/p>\n
The locations the bus company cited as drop-off points meanwhile gave passengers greater choice, depending on where they alighted.<\/p>\n
Corus KLCC is located right in KL\u2019s city centre, while 1 Utama and Sunway Pyramid are located in different parts of Petaling Jaya. All three locations are well-known to Singaporeans and popular with visitors. <\/p>\n
Such locations, however, are not meant for bus services to carry out passenger pick-ups and drop-offs, Apad had said in a notice issued on Oct 15 that The Straits Times has seen.<\/p>\n
The authority said such practices violate the terms of the permit issued to operators, and from Nov 1, it would forbid them from picking up or dropping off passengers at any location in KL that is not a terminal, including places in Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi or in front of Berjaya Times Square. The Bukit Bintang area is a top draw for visitors in KL, with its many hotels, shopping malls and eateries. <\/p>\n
Failure to comply could result in a suspension or a bus operator having their permit revoked, it said.<\/p>\n
Aeroline meanwhile included the e-mail addresses linked to Apad in its notice, requesting the public to send in appeals on its behalf.<\/p>\n
Netizens on various social media platforms were mostly sympathetic, although some expressed confusion as they said they were not notified of the suspension, and had only noticed it through the operator\u2019s social media posts.<\/p>\n
Malaysian netizens on the country\u2019s dedicated subreddit were more critical, with one comment stating: \u201cThis is so irritating. People want to go to the north (of KL), the government says to go to the south.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Straits Times has contacted Aeroline and Apad, as well as other popular bus operators for more information.<\/p>\n