PETALING JAYA, May 4 — A “familiar face” of Klang Valley’s public transportation, Metrobus Nationwide Sdn Bhd, is in dire straits and may close down.

The company has, among others, cut down its initial fleet of buses of 425 in 1992 to the current 45.

Its executive chairman, Ahmad Shah Wadood, said they had to sell their buses to keep the company afloat.

He said among the reasons for the decline in business were the introduction of free bus services in Kuala Lumpur and not receiving money from the Interim Stage Bus Scheme Fund (ISBSF) despite numerous requests.

“We never received any official response,” he said.

“We were told we are not entitled to the funds because we have a franchise licence from the Domestic Trade and Consumerism Ministry.”

This was despite being labelled as a stage bus operator.

The ISBSF ran from 2012 to last year to help stage bus operators from incurring losses. It was an interim measure to cover shortfalls in daily operations, especially on social routes.

From the massive network of routes that it used to serve, Ahmad said, the company now serviced five routes in Puchong. This was because they were told by the Land Public Transport Commission to stop servicing routes under the Bus Network Revamp.

On Monday, the Johor Bus Operators Association (JABOA) said its members were unable to sustain operations without aid from the fund and may have to stop services by Friday.

State executive councillor for local government Datuk Latiff Bandi said the state government would look into the plight of the bus operators.

“We welcome the idea of helping the people of Johor and providing cheap public transportation. But I need to know which routes need help and how many buses are required,” he said.

“I will seek the views of the Johor Public Transportation Corporation.”

He was responding to a plea by the association’s secretary, Salleh Mat Hassan, who asked for the state’s free bus service, Bas Muafakat Johor, to service unprofitable routes.

Latiff said it was also the question of available funds as Bas Muafakat Johor was set up with financial contribution from the councils of Johor Baru City, Johor Baru Central, Pasir Gudang and Kulai.