Wanna take a ride?

Remember that Merc-riddled Terengganu State government? Well, apparently this time around its plan to put on the road all of the eight buses it had purchased at RM430,000 each was stalled because of some ‘technical glitches’.

These custom-made buses were supposed to be ‘eye-catching’ enough particularly for the tourists.

According to The Star, the state government ‘has invested RM3.4mil to custom-fabricate eight imported buses with the intention of charging a 50-sen fare’.

See below a portion of the newspaper’s report and check out what those ‘technical glitches’ really are:

… the investment has turned into a temporary liability because of “technical glitches”. Four of the buses are plying the roads around town for free, while another four are lying idle in storage.

The buses, purchased at RM430,000 each, cannot charge fares because they failed to obtain the required permit from the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB).

State financial officer Datuk Mazlan Ngah acknowledged this had derailed the initial plan of ensuring the return of investment.

“Looks like we have to offer free rides until the issue is solved,” he said when contacted by The Star.

Asked why the buses were not granted the permits, Mazlan declined to elaborate but cited “technical hitches.”

It is learnt the state government is not able to get the permits as the Customs tax has not been settled, and also because certain aspect of the bus designs are not in accordance with the safety prerequisite set by the board.

The state government had purchased the buses last year. They were custom-fabricated to look like typical Malay houses in Terengganu, complete with beautiful roof motifs called tunjuk langit (showing off the sky.)

The buses were supposed to be a tourism draw but unable to generate revenue for the state.