IPOH, Dec 27 — Parents bracing for a hike in school bus fares next year can breathe easy.

Federation of Malaysian School Bus Operators Association president Mohd Rofik Mohd Yusof gave his assurance today that fares will not be increased in 2019.

"Parents can negotiate for the fares with the operators as long as the operators stick to the RM80 ceiling price,” he told Malay Mail.

"If the operator goes beyond RM80, parents can highlight the matter,” he added, noting that operators are not allowed to set fares at will.

He also told parents that fares were not cast in stone and that operators have some leeway in adjusting them to each household.

"If parents have many school-going children, operators take that into consideration before deciding on the final fares,” he added.

He said since the government allowed self-regulation a year ago, school bus fares have not been an issue anymore.

"If parents are not happy with the price quoted by one driver, they can look for others,” he said.

The chairman of the association’s Perak chapter, Wong Kee Yuen, asserted that the arrangement was no different from any other commercial transaction in that it is a ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ scenario.

However, he acknowledged that there was a shortage of drivers in the industry, which limited the availability of alternatives or competition.

"There number of drivers is dwindling due to retirement and young people refusing to take up the vocation,” he said.

He said the matter was compounded further by the requirement that drivers must retire their buses once they have been on the road for 30 years, in accordance with the Transport Ministry’s policy.

Wong explained that most drivers also chose to go into retirement with their vehicles.

"They would rather retire early than invest in a new school bus,” he added.