SOCIALIST Youth, the youth wing of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), has criticised the “Scan to Ride” mechanism announced by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) while calling for the local authority to lift the “oppressive” 90 sen fare imposed on migrant workers for the otherwise free PJ City Bus service.
It also urged the Selangor state government and MBPJ to stop the implementation of “Scan to Ride” mechanism in all bus services under the Selangor state administration – not just in PJ City Bus – as this will inconvenience passengers especially senior citizens who are not tech-savvy.
For the record, PJ City Bus users are required to scan the “Scan to Ride” QR (Quick Response) Code to use the bus service while non-citizen users will be charged 90 sen starting Jan 15.
“Pemuda Sosialis maintains that ‘Scan to Ride’ is a mechanism that will inconvenience the people and workers’ fraternity and even oppress migrant workers who use the bus service,” its secretary Gandipan Nantha Gopalan pointed out.
“Public transport services must be efficient, fast and have perfect accessibility for the people. The introduction of ‘Scan to Ride’ will affect the movement of workers, especially those working in dense areas. MBPJ should also be aware that not all passengers have the necessary devices for the scanning process to use the public transport service.”
Gandipan also described the 90 sen charge imposed on migrant workers who use the MBPJ bus as an inappropriate effort against people who are already experiencing pressure and discrimination in this country.
“The charge is a form of robbery that exploits the situation and conditions of the migrant community,” he asserted.
“What is more disappointing is when ‘progressive’ politicians such as the Kinrara assemblyman (Ng Sze Han) and the Bandar Utama state assemblyman (Jamaliah Jamaluddin) themselves defend policies that discriminate against non-citizens.”
The Socialist Youth also took a swipe at special officer to the Selangor Menteri Besar, Jay Jay Denis, who stated that the 90 sen charge against migrant workers is not motivated by profit and without any element of discrimination.
“However, the statement is not in line with the government’s own practice and the Socialist Youth demanded that the government not implement the charge,” added Gandipan. – Jan 10, 2023
