Minister Tiong King Sing said his ministry is developing measures to assist tourism transport operators affected by high fuel prices but stressed that any form of assistance must be based on “clear data” and “actual needs”.

Diesel prices in West Malaysia have almost doubled, from RM3.12 to RM6.02 over the past four weeks as a result of the Middle East conflict.

This has prompted tourism transport operators to urge the government to introduce subsidies for vehicles they operate.

In a statement, Tiong called on operators to submit complete and verifiable information, including revenue statements and related records, to help the government better understand their cost structure and determine suitable forms of assistance.

He said the ministry is looking to source data such as operational models, trip frequencies, fuel consumption, passenger numbers, and changes in revenue and costs as a result of the higher fuel prices.

“This will ensure that policy design is precise, resource allocation is effective, and public accountability is maintained,” he said.

“Only with complete and transparent data can support measures be designed precisely, rather than being applied uniformly,” he said.

Tiong acknowledged that not all tourism transport operators function in the same way.

Express buses typically operate on fixed routes with more consistent demand, making their costs easier to assess. On the other hand, chartered tourism buses will have more flexible routes, fuel usage and passenger volumes.

Tiong said these differences would be considered when determining any assistance.

The ministry is also in discussions with the finance ministry on the possibility of a tax rebate for the sector.

He said the government will also examine licensing, operating standards and resource utilisation to ensure any support is properly distributed and not misused.