KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — After the latest round of subsidy cuts, Malay express bus operators are pleading for the return of diesel subsidies and toll discounts, warning of imminent bankruptcies if they get no help.

Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia reported that Peninsular Malaysia Malay Express Bus Operators Association (Pembawa) president Tajudin Mohd Yunus as saying the issue is no longer about making enough profits, but of  survival.

“People might think the 20 sen increase is small but for express bus operators, that rate would translate to an additional RM60,000 a month.

“At the same time, our income is stuck, we are not allowed to raise ticket prices. The government needs to realise that once diesel prices go up, the cost of bus’ spare parts go up as well,” he said at a press conference, as reported by the Malay daily.

Tajudin added that the government has also abolished the 50 per cent toll discount they received previously without a reasonable explanation and has rejected the association’s requests to raise ticket prices since 2008.

“We realise that the cost of living today is high and the people do not need to be burdened by a ticket price increase, but the government needs to reinstate the diesel subsidy and the toll discount to express bus operators,” he said.

Fuel prices for the RON95 petrol and diesel rose to RM2.30 per litre and RM2.20 a litre respectively on Thursday, after the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry announced it was cutting the subsidies by 20 sen.

The decision to cut back subsidies even as oil prices in Asia tumbled has stirred a flurry of criticism against the government for sparking inflation across the board.

But Putrajaya is under pressure to reduce its chronic overspending to 3.5 per cent of GDP this year, and has embarked on aggressive cost-cutting measures since last September, including slashing of fuel and sugar subsidies and approving an increase to electricity tariffs.