Thursday March 20, 2008
By HAMDAN
TheStar
first double-decker bus while Azman looks on in Johor Baru recently.
MUAR: From a humble two-bus company in 1993, Mayang Sari Express today boasts 90 buses, including its first double-decker bus to ply the route between Johor and Kuala Lumpur.
The express bus service, operated by Aerosystem Travel and Tour Sdn Bhd, plans to increase the buses to 100 by the end of the year, said Mayang Sari Express managing director Azman Mohd Arof.
He said the company began with the Muar-Johor Baru-Kota Tinggi route in 1993 using only two buses and applied for additional permits during festive seasons to cater for increasing passengers.
“We began small with only two management staff who were the shareholders.
“ It was not easy for a small company to compete with bus companies which had been in service a lot longer,” he said at the launch of Mayang Sari's first double-decker bus by Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran here on Monday.
He said the double-decker bus costing RM700,000 was the first to operate in Johor and plied the Muar-Kuala Lumpur route, but would cover other routes when necessary.
He said the fare for the double-decker bus was the same as single-decker buses and commuters would experience a new feeling when travelling on the bus.
Markiman said it took Mayang Sari 15 years to become a major bus company and hoped other bus firms would look at it as a model.
