The Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association said the budget had failed to resolve the critical driver shortage, which does not only involve private bus operators.

Earlier this month, the group called on Putrajaya to pay for the training of bus or lorry drivers from the B40 income group, in view of the driver shortage. This would involve the government covering RM3,000 for one person to obtain both the Class E licence and public service vehicle licence.

The association’s president Ashfar Ali, said: “We submitted a memorandum but none of our requests were met. On the other hand, Prasarana Malaysia Bhd received substantial financial support.”

Government-owned Prasarana, which operates the Rapid LRT and bus lines, was allocated RM600 million to acquire 150 electric buses and construct three bus depots to support the LRT3 project in the Klang Valley.

Ashfar said the budget initiatives favoured government-owned entities, leaving private operators feeling neglected, despite their continuous appeals to the government.

Gabungan Teksi SeMalaysia president Kamarudin Hussain said he respected the government’s decision not to provide one-off financial aid to taxi drivers.

“The current government is akin to equipping us with the means to fish rather than simply providing fish. This approach encourages us to work harder, and we perceive it as a challenge we are ready to embrace,” he said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s speech on the budget did not mention any initiatives for taxi drivers.