The Fiji Bus Operators Association has welcomed the announcement to restrict blue subsidized student bus cards during the school holidays.

Association President Nisar Ali Shah says the association in the past had faced instances of the abuse of the cards.

Shah adds they’re thankful to the government for taking the step to limit the misuse.

Meanwhile, the use of government-subsidized blue e-ticketing cards will be restricted during the school holidays.

Permanent Secretary for Education Alison Burchell says this will be done because of the increasing abuse of the cards.

“An amount of fraud that is being noted in the use of blue cards by people who are not eligible to use them. We have also identified that it helps to support truancy in terms of students being able to go to school effectively on subsidized cards at any time of the day so we are trying to make sure we restrict that as well.”

The Education Ministry is urging students using these subsidized blue cards to get their supplementary red card for travel during school holidays.