Bernama reported him as saying his ministry had received complaints of fare hikes imposed by express bus operators, particularly for routes from the capital to the east coast.

“I have instructed the Land Public Transport Agency to investigate the companies involved in these fare hikes. Fares for economy-class buses are regulated and cannot be raised arbitrarily.

“The ticket prices for executive buses, which offer additional services, are not regulated. However, we will take action if price increases are excessive, even for executive buses,” he said at the Jerantut district council hall in Pahang today.

Loke said express bus operators were only permitted to impose a 10% surcharge during festive seasons in light of increased service capacity and bus rental costs.

He said this was not a new policy and had been in place for the past 20 years, applying from one week before major celebrations to one week after.