SPAd and cops foil touts at bus terminals
PETALING JAYA: Enforcement work against touting activities have been beefed up at major bus stations to ensure commuters have a smooth trip back home for the Hari Raya holidays.
Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) officers and police personnel were seen at major bus stations such as Pudu Sentral, South Integrated Terminal (TBS) and Hentian Duta.
Kpl Mohamad Haliman Othman, who is posted at the police station in TBS, said constant enforcement from the police and SPAD had helped curb the work of touts.
“We will check with the counters if we find reasons to suspect that a ‘tout’ is operating here. SPAD also performs checks and undercover operations to stop this from happening in the first place,” he said in an interview at the terminal.
The bus stations were a hive of activity as people crowded the ticket counters.
At TBS, tickets were already selling fast for certain routes.
A oneway ticket to Kuala Terengganu, offered by various bus operators at TBS, ranged from RM40 to RM44. Their fare is the same regardless of the departure date.
At the Hentian Duta, ticket prices were standard at the various counters. For example, a oneway trip to Alor Setar from the bus terminal costs RM45.
At Pudu Sentral, Star Shuttle express officer Saleha Ahmad, 23, said there were only a few seats left for coaches heading to the east coast.
“Tickets are very limited as the Raya draws near. Many people have purchased them much earlier. The prices of our tickets remain the same,” she said.
Another ticket seller, who declined to be identified, said tickets to Terengganu on the last two days before Hari Raya had been sold out.
“If you are interested, you can come on the eve of Raya and check if there are additional buses heading to the state,” she said.