KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi drivers have heaved a collective sigh of relief that compressed natural gas (CNG) will not be increased.

Selangor and Federal Territory Radio Taxi Association secretary Richard Leow said: "Times are bad now with the rising cost of food and other items and the decision not to increase CNG prices is a breather for us."

However, Leow worries the queue to pump CNG would only grow longer when more motorists switch to CNG.

"Motorists have already started to use natural gas. It will get worse (for taxi drivers who have to wait in line to pump natural gas)," he said.

He added it took up to 45 minutes for taxi drivers to get their turn at pumping in CNG into their vehicles. "We have to pump at least four times a day," he said.

The Federal Territory and Selangor Taxi Drivers and Owners Association said the decision on CNG was a "small consolation" as taxi drivers were still stuck with the RM2 starting fare.

"We are losing out as our income is not increasing but food prices are increasing and we have been stuck with the RM2 starting fare for more than 10 years," said the association's secretary Hiew Pow Man.

He said the association had discussed with Petronas to increase the number of stations selling CNG as the current number of 40 was not enough to cater to the 35,000 Klang Valley taxis.

Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris agreed that there was a need to increase the number of stations selling natural gas as more motorists would be encouraged to switch from petrol.

In Kuantan, M. Hamzah Jamaludin reports that an increase in bus fares is inevitable.

Peninsular Malaysia Malay Bus Drivers Association president Mohd Yasin Yacob said: "We (bus drivers) will definitely ask for a salary increase to cover higher living cost. This will eventually force bus operators to push for higher fares."

Mohd Yasin said the 40 per cent increase was too much and the impact would be felt most by those from the low income group.

"There will be a chain reaction as the prices of various items will increase after this," he said.

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Dr Mohamad Ashfar Ali has asked the government to increase the current subsidised quota for each bus.

Currently, the subsidy is for 70 per cent of daily requirement of each bus.

"As we are required to purchase the remaining amount at market price, the price increase will affect us," he said.

He also requested that the fares for all mini, stage and express buses be doubled.

"The government had promised to increase the fare in the second half of this year but it is already June and we are still waiting for an announcement," he said.

Ashfar said with the hike in fuel cost, prices of spare parts, tyres and batteries would follow suit.

"We hope that the increase will be implemented this month.

"Otherwise, I fear that one of two things could happen - the bus operators may stop serving routes during off-peak hours or cut down on the non-profitable routes," he added.