GEORGE TOWN – A school van driver had to work as a food deliverer to feed his family since the closure of schools in May due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mohd Farouk Abdul Subahani, 33, said his job delivering food, however, could only cover the basic needs of his family, causing him to be burdened with debt from his bank loan.
“I am now facing the risk of my school van being seized by the bank because I have three months’ arrears. Every month I must pay RM1,600 to the bank, but I can’t afford it. The job now is just enough to feed my family,” said the father of three.
Farouk, who has been working as a school van driver for seven years, said he was disappointed when he failed to obtain a moratorium because the van was registered under the company’s name.
He said the government should provide a moratorium to all parties, including business operators because they were also affected by the implementation of the movement control order (MCO).
Meanwhile, another school van driver, Ang Siew Gaik, 61, said she only expected payment of fees from the students’ parents, apart from money from her children.
“Some parents still pay fees to me, but I myself have told them, pay as much as they can afford.
“I know at the moment many are affected, so I don’t force parents to pay me,” said Ang, who has worked as a school van driver for 25 years.
Meanwhile, V. Ramesh, 50, is forced to support his family using money from his Employees Provident Fund (EPF) account, besides still having his salary halved by his employer.
He admits that he feels a little depressed but needs to move on with his life for the sake of his two children who are 21 and 16 years old.
“The employer still pays me a salary of RM600, and I also have to use the EPF money to support my family,” he said.
Earlier, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin presented donations in the form of daily food supplies to 42 van and school bus operators via a drive-thru at his parliamentary community service centre here.
Sim said he received complaints from school bus and van drivers that they had to undergo a Puspakom inspection every six months, despite not being able to work.
This, he said, caused them to feel burdened because the fee for the inspection was between RM500 to RM800.
“They appealed to the government to postpone the Puspakom inspection because it is very burdensome.
“I was made to understand that the taxi association has also asked for the same thing from the Transport Ministry but until now there has been no result. Please respond Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong,” he said. – The Vibes, July 1, 2021
