damn idiot bl**dy MILAN BUS!
Post on Mar.27, 2007
UPDATED: 0515 PM: this morning i sent out this story of mine (though with some changes) off to all the press whom i have their emails. i was quite surprised when at 5.00pm i checked malaysiakini website and see my letter on this post published!. wow! i never imagine they could published it so fast…. just several hours after i sent the letter. a reporter from the sun had called me too and asked permission to use my story in her report. let’s wait and see. i’m looking forward to my letter being published in the star too. i actually sent 2 letters to the press – one is this stranded story here, another is asking the government to stop the existing bus operators once rapidpenang take over.
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sorry for the swearing but i’m really pissed off. very very damn angry!!
yesterday i was at the jetty (penang side) to take the milan bus back to bayan baru. saw one, the 3-3 one there with nobody inside yet. that time it was about 8.50pm. after about 10mins the driver switch on the light and opened the door so i hopped in, along with 3 other persons. then we waited… and waited… some other passengers hopped in… waited… waited… 9.10pm… 9.20pm… waited… all this while the driver was sitting on a chair at the pavement chatting with his girlfriend. then i notice the driver was on the lookout for ferry commuters to come out from the ferry, hoping for some to want to take his bus. well one batch of ferry commuters came out and about 6 or so of them did board the bus… and i thought he would have get the bus going but yet he sat on the chair and chat to his girlfriend and we waited and waited…. again the driver waited for another batch of ferry commuters to come out… and this time when the bus was almost full, then only he decided to start the bus. it was 9.55pm at that time!! imagine! i had to wait for an hour for the bus to move. oh and when i gave him RM2.00, he did not change 10 cents for me, so i asked him and he said he had no change, and just leave it as that!
wait… the story get better. so the bus moved and this driver drove like a mad man, beating red lights and honking at cars at traffic queue. then when the bus was at bukit jambul, lots of passengers went down and left only 4 of us… and do you know what? he chased us down!! yes he said "ambil bas belakang" (take the bus behind you), and gave me RM1.00 back. i said "belakang mana ada bus" (where got bus?) but he ignore me. hmph! maybe he wants to get back quick to have some ‘good time’ with his girlfriend (who was in the bus with him)?? at that time it was already 10.30pm (and the last bus was usually at 10.00pm).
i had mentioned before in my post where i sent a letter to malaysiakini and the star about how once i was chased down too, so this was not the first time… but this was the first time that it happened so late. ‘bas belakang’? will there be any bus, i wonder? well, after 10 mins, a bus did arrived but when i went up the bus, the driver asked, "mana pigi?" and i replied "sunshine", he said "tak’ da pi sana. nak balik." (no go there. wanna go home already).
huh? ‘takda pi’?? what? then how? what bus can i take? will there be any more bus? i began to panic… then i have no choice but to phone my sister to ask her to come and picked me up. true enough while waiting for my sis for 15 mins, i didn’t see any bus at all! this means no more bus! can you imagine that?? what happened if it is someone who does not have anyone to call to ask for a lift? walk back home? so far and in the dark? take a taxi?
i was so MAD 
at the drivers of the milan bus!! first of all, i had to wait so long at tthe jetty for the bus to move. ok that’s not so bad compared to… being chased down at bukit jambul when i had already paid to go to sunshine at jetty… and worst part, when there was no bus around!!! grrr!! of all the !^$*#%&!(!!!! i must made a complain!! write to the star or phone the bus company directly. they have no right to chase me down when they are suppose to go to my destination. they have no right to wait so long (an hour!) for the bus to move. the drivers are acting like kings and we poor bus commuters are at their mercy. grrr!!!
i really hope that when rapid penang come in operation in august, the milan bus company will be kicked off to kingdom come and to hell with them!! .
unfortunately just yesterday i read in the star paper, some big name person mentioned they are going to allow the existing bus companies to run even when rapid penang is here. i must write a letter soon!!! (though it won’t do much good but at least i spoke up).
i still got a lot of grumblings to do but as it is past 2.00am now, i gotta go to bed. let me fume in anger in my sleep!!
March 27th, 2007 on 3:32 AM
Hope you could get to sleep. Pretty ineffective way to do business. Reminder to avoid bus dependancy when I travel.
lucia: thank god i did. well what to do… me no drive (and can’t afford to buy a car) has to depend on public transport. of course i do have my chaly bike but that is for short distance/town area only.
March 27th, 2007 on 8:34 AM
RapidPenang may turn out to be as bad as or even worse than Milan if the management also insist on their drivers renting the bus on a daily basis rather then paying monthly salaries. The only way to change all this nonsense is to dump BN in the coming general elections. The ruling Gerakan party only cares for their own welfare and of course, deep pockets.
lucia: that’s true. we never know how rapid penang may turn out. it might be ok, it might turned out just as bad as the existing bus operators. but let’s give them a chance first. you are right of course about the ‘pajak’ system (so it is known as). if rapid penang use the pajak system, then gone case lah…
March 27th, 2007 on 10:43 AM
The things is all 4 of you went down from the bus!
Just refuse, stay put and call the police if necessairy from within the bus.
A Milan bus driver had the guts to charges double the fare on a national holiday…..
Just pay him the amount required and if he makes a lot of noise ask him to call the police, or drive to the nearest station, but do NOT give in.
That is the problem in Malaysia people allways give in, and than grumble at home, NO stay put and see what happens. You give in they will continue doing it!
lucia: well the other 3 were all men… if the men did not made noise, do i dare to make noise? FYI i am a timid and non aggressive person, thus i always avoid making noise in public.
yes i’m one of the malaysians who give in and then grumble at home – because as i said i’m timid in person. at least i grumble at home – which is doing something – verbally!! being timid, dare not speak out in person, i speak out in writing… which is what i enjoy doing anyway. when i speak out verbally – send my letter to the press (a number of them), i am letting my voice be heard. that is good enough for me.
when many of us write in with our grouses, it is also a sign of protest (verbally) which will get the attention of the authorities and they might do something. it’s just one way of protest esp. for timid persons. i’ll leave the action part – staying put, making noises, report to police to people like you, ong, tian chua.
March 27th, 2007 on 1:08 PM
Hi Lucia,
The big problem is that the buses in Penang are now basically sub-contracted out to individual drivers. The guys like Milan are just like absentee landlords. They don’t exercise real control over the operations. The drivers end up driving recklessly to maximise their trip earnings, and when they don’t feel like it, they don’t move at all, or kick passengers off halfway.
This is gross abandonment of responsibility by the bus companies, and I was very disappointed to hear that the state govt intends to keep them even after Rapid penang starts.
lucia: yep the ‘pajak’ system is the big problem.
me too was very disappointed to hear the existing bus operators will be allowed to operate, that’s why i spend much time writing in to protest.
March 27th, 2007 on 8:22 PM
Lucia, oh Lucia
What you wrote about sounds more like kereta sapu from 40 years ago. You are right, RapidKL must start in Penang and drive those bus pirates out of business. I really sympathise with your experience that night. If I were you, I probably would have erupted there and then.
Don’t worry about the bus pirates; they will fade away fast if RapidKL lives up to expectations.
Happy riding! Meanwhile, just keep your cool.
lucia: yes i do hope rapid penang would live up to its expectations.
never mind, me losing my cool… after all it is only verbally (in writing).
March 27th, 2007 on 8:39 PM
I ditto all those comments above: what happened to you (and hundreds of others) could only be a result of the bus company (Milan, or whatever) leasing their buses to individual drivers, so the drivers go for maximum profits (like waiting for commuters at the ferry, etc) and no longer care about schedules and routes, etc. It’s like the mini-bus story, but with big buses. The Penang government is shirking their responsibilities by allowing this practice to go on (as if unnoticed). Penangites have to give them a very clear message at the very next election (and turn the election into a ejection!). Well done, for the story in Malaysiakini, and I hope the other newspapers run it too.
lucia: yes the gomen is closing an eye to all the complaints. time to vote them out!
March 28th, 2007 on 12:23 AM
I hope things can get better. But I have phobias
lucia: me too, mave, me too.
March 28th, 2007 on 4:57 PM
my blood boiled when I read your letter at malaysiakini, but at the same time I’m glad you expose the nonsense of those (imported from KL) mini-bus. Wish we have our ole faithfuls, the Green, Blue, Yellow & Beige back. ‘Twas a time when Penangites had the best service in the whole nation. Dump useless Raja Bodek.
lucia: yep those were the good old days eh – the green, blue, yellow, beige buses. beige btw was owned by the council. they did a good job and they run routes almost all corners of penang island.
March 28th, 2007 on 11:44 PM
CEPAT will be meeting Teng Hock Nan & RapidPenang this Sunday -care to come along to speak truth to power ?
lucia: this sunday? where? when? er… but i can’t speak up well lah. you know me. like i mentioned to albert, i’m timid, i don’t speak up well in person. i do all the speaking in writing!
March 29th, 2007 on 1:55 PM
Meeting between CEPAT, Dr Teng Hock Nan & RapidPenang will be this Sunday (1-4-07) 3.30pm at Temple of Fine Arts, Babington Ave (beside the Prison). You can speak as one of the bus commuters. The more the merrier !
March 29th, 2007 on 5:40 PM
See Lucia, that’s the problem in Malaysia, they all grumble at home, but never stand up.
This way this country will NEVER change.
You can write letters and so on, they give a damn, they probably even dont read the,.
The only way is make life difficult by standing up and make noise if needed lots of it.
This is the same everywhere in Malaysia. If you get a lousy product in the supermarket, few will give you a refund if you ask.
ONLY if you make a lot of noise with plenty of people around, they get embarrassed and might do something.
It is not only the bus drivers in Penang, how about taxi drivers in Penang that are obliged to use their meter, but simply refuse?
Get in the taxi if the driver refuses to use the meter, dont get out.
If necessairy call the police and file a report, spoil the f##cking drivers day.
But i must say Penang is a special case where the Gerakan government only care about their own wallets, the citizens can drop dead. High time they all get arested under the ACA. I love this country but the word customer service is NON EXISTING
March 31st, 2007 on 1:10 AM
How to screw up a bus system? Instead of doing the job as a bus company by getting bus drivers and mechanics with a monthly salary+overtime, subcontract/rent the buses to third party companies or individuals who then have the freedom to ’suka-suka’ operate the vehicles, set their own routes & times, and kick out passengers if they’re too lazy to complete the route.
If RapidPenang fails as well, time to open tender the contract… preferably to the Kiasulanders. They know how to run a public transport system.