Touts hike up bus ticket prices by 100pc
Ahmad Fairuz Othman
2009/11/03
UNDERCOVER personnel from the Johor Road Transport Department nabbed two touts at the Larkin Sentral bus terminal for hiking up bus ticket prices by 100 per cent on Friday.
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| RTD officers checking on travel buses and inspecting ticketing counters |
The two men, aged 29 and 43, were among 14 caught since Sept 6, when the Ops Sikap Hari Raya began.
Department director Rosli Ramli said a group of 15 undercover RTD personnel were deployed to the terminal.
"These touts often hike up ticket prices by 100 per cent for all destinations. A bus ticket from Johor Baru to Ipoh, which normally costs RM75 would be sold for about RM150 by these touts," said Rosli.
"RTD personnel went undercover and disguise as bus passengers. They even took taxis to the bus terminal They had also brought along large boxes as part of their luggage."
The undercover RTD personnel began by bargaining with the touts on the ticket prices.
The two men were then held and brought to the Larkin police station for questioning.
The 14 caught are aged between 18 and 54.
Twelve of them have been fined between RM500 and RM8,500 under Section 110 (A) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Meanwhile, Rosli said the state RTD would suspend licences for lorry drivers who continue to overload their cargo.
He said the department would enforce Section 56 (4) of the Road Transport Act 1987 to suspend the vocational licence of lorry drivers who continue to commit the same offence.
He said owners of these lorries may also have their transporting permits revoked or suspended.
Rosli said the department has detained 66 kereta sapu or illegal taxis between January and September this year.
The illegal taxis were operating in several areas in southern Johor, including Masai, Skudai, the Sultan Ismail Airport in Senai, Kota Tinggi, Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, Larkin Sentral and Puteri Wangsa.
Rosli said the department had seized some of the illegal taxis because the drivers were repeat offenders.
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