KOTA KINABALU – A one-off RM600 cash aid promised to school bus operators months ago has yet to materialise, said the Luyang rep, demanding an explanation from the transport minister.
Phoong Jin Zhe of DAP said the matter was highlighted by these operators, who are hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and have sought assistance from him.
“Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Sabah Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board chairman Datuk Chin Kim Hiung have to explain why school bus operators have not received the RM600 cash aid, and what caused the delay.”
The application window for the aid closed on August 14, he said, and there has been no word from the authorities since.
On July 10, the ministry said 35,000 school bus operators will get the aid, for which RM21 million was allocated, to help ease their burden amid the virus crisis.
Wee had said “no one will be left out”.
Anthony Wong, a spokesman for the bus operators, said they feel that the government has neglected them at a time when they are not able to earn an income as schools have been ordered shut to curb the spread of Covid-19. – The Vibes, November 11, 2020
