RM3 boarding fee at Miri Sentral sparks debate, but operator says it's vital for terminal upkeep

Malay Mail

23-04-2025

MIRI, April 23 — The recently introduced RM3 boarding fee at Miri Sentral Bus Terminal, which sparked public debate, is essential to cover operational costs, according to Konsortium Bas Ekspres (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd (KBE).
In a statement issued yesterday, KBE spokesperson Johnson Ling clarified that the fee is not included in the bus ticket price, nor is it a charge imposed by the Miri City Council (MCC).
Instead, the RM3 fee is collected by KBE to support the terminal's daily operational expenses, such as rent, utilities, security, cleaning, and maintenance.
'KBE is a consortium formed by several bus companies. After winning the bid to manage the terminal, we are now responsible for the full operational costs of the facility, which amount to between RM60,000 and RM70,000 monthly.
'Therefore, the RM3 fee is purely to maintain basic operations. We are a commercial entity managing this terminal independently and cannot absorb the high overhead costs,' said Ling in his statement.
He clarified that both online and walk-in customers will be subjected to the RM3 fees as they would have to get the boarding pass from the counter before they can proceed to get on the bus.
He mentioned that KBE plans to implement a unified ticketing system, which will centralise ticket sales at a single counter and the system is expected to eliminate competition issues and aggressive touting caused by differing ticket prices across bus companies.
'The integration is still ongoing. While some bus companies have yet to fully adopt the system, we expect full compliance in the coming weeks,' Ling said.
Addressing earlier media reports suggesting KBE would remove the RM3 fee, Ling clarified that this was inaccurate.
'We've reached out to the media outlet involved, and they have acknowledged a misinterpretation of our press release,' he noted.
Ling also addressed the appearance of the MCC logo on boarding fee receipts, clarifying that it was used following a verbal request from a city council representative during preliminary discussions.
'We had no intention to misrepresent or misuse the council's identity,' he said.
Ling also clarified that the upcoming unified ticket pricing would not absorb the RM3, instead it aims to standardise fares among all bus operators to pricing system to promote fair competition and avoid price undercutting.
'Bus ticket prices have remained unchanged since 2009, despite significant increases in operating costs. In fact, the cost of a new bus has risen from RM400,000 to RM700,000 and the expenses for tires, maintenance, and wages have all soared.
'We are simply trying to maintain services within a sustainable framework,' he explained. — The Borneo Post