After taxis and express buses, now rail tickets to cost more

KTMB announced today that its rail service will also hike ticket prices, just after the announcement of the increase in taxi and hired car fares, as well as express buses. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 19, 2015.

Hours after news of higher taxi and express bus fares, KTM Bhd which operates the popular Komuter rail service also announced an impending hike on ticket fares, effective May 1.

In a statement on its website, KTMB said the new cash fares would be revealed on April 1 at all its Komuter stations and online.

The difference between the new fares for a single journey will depend on the travelling distance from one station to another.

The country's sole railway operator, a government-linked company, today only announced the quantum of discounts for special pass holders on the new cash fares when they take effect.

Commuters using the stored value card will enjoy a 20% discount on the new fares; those with a weekly pass will get between 18% to 26% off; while monthly pass holders will get a discount of between 19% and 35% off the new cash fares.

The actual discount will depend on the travelling distance, KTMB's statement said.

Senior citizens, the disabled and children aged 4 to 12 can travel on concession rates at 50% off the new fares.

KTMB said the new fares, which have been approved by the Land Public Transportation Commission (SPAD), are exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and that its last fare revision was in February 2003.

The railway operator's fare hike in May will come at the time when the public has to adjust to fork out more for GST at 6% which kicks off on April 1, as well as higher taxi fares which took effect today, and increased express bus ticket prices effective May 15.

Earlier today, SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar announced an increase in taxi and hired car fares of between 20% to 67% starting today, and up to 22% for express bus ticket prices from mid-May.

The triple-blow for taxi, bus and rail users has prompted criticism on social media, including from pro-government individuals like Umno Youth exco member Ibdillah Ishak, who asked if the almost-simultaneous fare hikes were a “pre-GST sabotage against the government".

"KTMB as a government-linked company should not burden the people with drastic fare hikes. Have they forgotten their responsibility to help the people," he tweeted this evening.

Others speculated that the move to make public transportation costlier in addition to imposing GST on consumers, would add even more fire to the attacks against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"SPAD announced a hike in taxi and express bus fares. KTMB announces higher train fares. Who next is going to raise fares? Have they gone mad or what?" former Umno minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah tweeted.

KTMB said commuters could call its hotline at 1300-88-5862 for enquiries about the new fares.

- TMI