Another scam in Puduraya

Di kaunter katanya dapat naik bas V.I.P siap dengan berhawa dingin silap-silap ada TV/VCD lagi tu... Tapi bila tiba hari nak bertolak, bas kilang dan bas sekolah pulak yang disediakan. Kalau comey tu takpa ler jugak... dahlah takda aircond, berkarat dan kerusi bau muntah jer. Tu belum check ada permit ke takda permit lagi tu. Driver ntah qualified ke tidak.

Tapi sebabkan dah terdesak punya pasal nak balik kampung... apalah pilihan yang ada buat penumpang yang dah tertipu ni. Time tu, memang ler marah maki hamun etc. Nak buat report sana sini... selalunya nak kena tunggu lepas balik dari bercuti nantilah... Tapi setelah balik dari bercuti panjang, "benda" ni terlupa dan sering dilupakan. Tiba balik musim cuti perayaan... perkara yang sama berulang. Saban tahun macam ni ler ceritanya. Macam takda penyelesaian.

VIP bus tickets passengers travel in school and factory buses instead

By PARVEEN GILL

LONG WAIT: A group of VIP bus ticket holders for travel to Sungai Petani were directed on board a factory bus opposite Menara Maybank near Puduraya on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of people bought VIP bus tickets from legitimate counters in Puduraya to travel comfortably back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year break but ended up travelling in school and factory buses instead.

They had paid up to RM45 per person because they were promised a single luxurious seat with television on a bus with a maximum of 30 seats.

On Wednesday, The Star found at the bus terminal hundreds of passengers at three pickup points being pushed into school or factory buses, some without air-conditioning.

V. Saravanan, 32, who paid RM45 for his ticket to Johor Baru last week, said he had specifically requested a VIP bus.

“After waiting for an hour and a half and at three different locations outside Puduraya, I ended up in a factory bus without air-conditioning,” he added.

There were at least 20 touts operating inside the terminal together with the counter staff that day and up until noon, no uniformed personnel from Uda Mall, the property and operations manager for Puduraya was seen monitoring the situation.

Passengers were seen buying VIP bus tickets from legitimate counters and were asked to wait at platforms 20 and 23.

A tout carrying a walkie-talkie turned up just before departure, collected the VIP tickets and said that the bus was delayed.

A new bus ticket was issued, bearing only the words Bus Express and a lower ticket price.

Passengers are told to wait at three different pick-up spots, the farthest was at the old Rex cinema near Petaling Street.

When Rashid Masyi, 33, and several other passengers realised they had been conned they confronted the touts but were told: “No refunds; it's not our problem if you do not want to travel on this bus.”

Retired teacher, Maniam Subramaniam paid RM72 for two adult tickets to Penang although he was travelling with his 11-year-old granddaughter.

The 60-year-old said that when he confronted a counter staff, the latter shouted back: “Where is the proof that you bought the ticket here?”

Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) chairman Baharom Mohamed expressed shock when told what was happening.

“Looks like the touts have discovered a new way of cheating passengers and this is very serious because the counter staff are helping them,” he said.

Baharom urged passengers to lodge their complaints to CVLB giving details like the registration number of the factory or school bus that they had travelled on. - The Star

Color code for Malaysian Bus:
Blue: For factory/workers transportation
Yellow: For school bus
White: For touring/tourist