As a result, express bus operators in Negeri Sembilan said they had to look for more buses to meet the demand.

Malaysian Chartered Bus Operators Association president Mohd Rofik Mohd Yusoff said there had been high demand for express bus services since the government opened state borders.

According to him, the response, especially involving destinations to the east coast, was unexpected.

“Many customers are not getting tickets and we are working to provide more buses soon,” he said, according to a Berita Harian report.

Most operators also faced constraints to start operations since most buses had not been in use for a long time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rofik said it was expensive to prepare their buses because it would include insurance, vehicle inspections, servicing of the buses and other requirements.

“Operators need to spend RM10,000 to RM15,000 per vehicle before they can restart express bus services,” he said.

State borders were opened after 90% of the country’s adult population became fully vaccinated.