Konsortium E-Mutiara Bhd CEO Che Ibrahim Che Ismail said his drivers started facing such a situation this week and it is expected to worsen as the month progresses.

He said drivers have been told at each station that they could only fill up a certain amount each time due to supply issues, Harian Metro reported.

“This is the latest situation bus operators are facing. We’re forced to look for diesel at several petrol stations due to the limited supply of the fuel,” he was quoted as saying.

Che Ibrahim also said his company’s diesel subsidy fleet card only applies to Petron and Shell stations, adding that there have been multiple instances where these stations run out of diesel, forcing drivers to pump elsewhere.

“We can’t use the fleet card when we pump at other stations, so we’re forced to pay the unsubsidised amount for diesel,” he said, adding that this means bearing higher operational costs.

He urged the government to increase the monthly diesel subsidy quota for express buses using fleet cards from 6,000 litres to 10,000 litres.

Che Ibrahim said the current quota of 6,000 litres only lasted 20 days for his company.

Diesel is currently being sold at RM6.72 per litre in West Malaysia until April 15, a 70 sen increase from RM6.02 per litre in the past week.

Fuel prices have skyrocketed due to the Iran war, but diesel sold in East Malaysia remains at the subsidised price of RM2.15 per litre.

Claims of petrol stations in the peninsula experiencing diesel shortages first surfaced last week, but the Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia said this was more likely due to routine maintenance rather than a shortage.