The Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) recently held its annual symposium at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 22nd to 23rd October, 2017.
SPAD Recognizes Land Public Transport Operators
SPAD noted that while major investments were being poured into rail, improving first-and–last mile connectivity to make travel seamless for commuters remained a priority.
Examples included the Interim Stage Bus Support Fund (ISBSF) introduced in 2012, which provided Government funding to sustain operations of social routes for the benefit of more than 330,000 passengers per day.
Meant as support for ailing stage bus companies, ISBSF would be replaced by the myBAS initiative in capital cities under the Stage Bus Services Transformation Programme (SBST).
The Government had invested RM143 million for myBAS services by SPAD in Kangar since August 2015, in Seremban since January 2016, and in Ipoh since June 2016. To date, myBAS had recorded more than 8.4 million passengers.
Meanwhile, at the symposium’s Industry Awards, the Best Express Bus Operators category saw two joint winners, Konsortium E-Mutiara Bhd and Tiara Pesona Sdn Bhd (better known as the Ekspres Perdana brand).
Konsortium E-Mutiara has a fleet of 66 buses, aged below 5 years. The company undertakes 24-hour GPS fleet monitoring and all buses have CCTV to monitor driver behaviour. Tiara Pesona has 63 buses and practises a 5-year fleet replacement policy.
Tiara Pesona also won the Best Customer Service for Express Bus award as the company is seen to excel in customer complaints management.
The Best Stage Bus Operator award went to Syarikat Pengangkutan Maju Bhd from Johor, which has 161 buses and is ISO 9001 and 9002 certified. The company recorded a zero fatality/injury accident rate in 2015 and 2016.
As for the Best Customer Service for Stage Bus Operator category, there were also two joint winners, Syarikat Pengangkutan Maju Bhd and Handal Indah Sdn Bhd (Causeway Link). Syarikat Pengangkutan Maju is a subsidiary of Johor Corp and has 400,000 passengers each month.
Handal Indah has a fleet of 298 buses and three million passengers each month for routes that includes the Johor Bahru-Singapore route. It introduced conveniences such as ManjaLink and Johor Bahru Tourist Bus contactless smartcard since 2011. The company also saw a 37-per cent reduction in customer complaints from 2015 to 2016. It has a 24-hour customer service centre operated by 50 staff and implements CEPAT, a comprehensive fleet management system.
The Best Container Operator award was won by Syarikat Logistik Petikemas Sdn Bhd that has a fleet of 400 trucks. The company received ISO 9001 in 2008 and was ranked third out of 164 container haulage companies in Port Klang in 2014.
Other awards included Best Rail Operator (won by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd or ERL), Best Upcoming Bus Terminal Managed Privately (Melaka Sentral Sdn Bhd), Best Upcoming Bus Terminal Managed by Local Council (Terminal Sentral Kuantan), Best Rail Terminal (KL Sentral), Best Upcoming Rail Terminal (JB Sentral) and an Innovation Award that was won by the GTRS team from Kelana Jaya Line of Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd.
Three rail staff and five taxi drivers also received special awards for putting in their best in delivering excellent service.
