Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the government is considering extending the Madani FLYsiswa voucher programme to include private university students. This was announced by Loke at the Dewan Rakyat.
However, Loke noted that cost remains a major factor in expanding the subsidy, as the initiative is not funded through the government’s regular budget, but rather driven by the Transport Ministry’s (MOT) own efforts. “We started raising money for this initiative through the sale of special vehicle registration numbers, which was later included in the budget through the Finance Ministry.” he explained.
Loke also revealed that the MOT has spent RM19.5 million this year to subsidise 39,764 flight tickets under the RM499 maximum fare subsidy initiative. The average subsidy amounted to RM491 per eligible flight ticket. “This year’s subsidy was implemented for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Gawai Dayak, Kaamatan Festival, and will continue for Christmas next month,” he added
The initiative, first introduced in 2023, was designed to subsidise air travel costs for students from public universities and higher learning institutions travelling between Sabah, Sarawak, the Federal Territory of Labuan, and Peninsular Malaysia. Initially valued at RM300, the voucher amount was later increased to RM400 to provide greater support for students’ travel expenses.
The FLYsiswa subsidy is provided as credit for students to purchase domestic flight tickets for travel between their place of origin and place of study. The subsidy applies to students from their first year of study until graduation.
(Source: NST)
