KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 13.1 million people have made transactions under the BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) programme with a spending value of RM2.66 billion in the first month of its implementation starting from Sept 30 until yesterday.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) in a statement today announced that the amount involved the purchase of 1.33 billion litres of subsidised RON95 petrol with a total government subsidy of around RM800 million to ease the burden of the people’s cost of living.

“This includes over 23,000 registered fishermen and boat users who do not have active driving licenses, especially in Sabah and Sarawak,” the statement said.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the implementation of BUDI95 ensures that the people receive subsidy benefits directly without a complicated process, while also enabling the government to re-channel savings into the development and welfare of the people.

“It is clear that this program provides multiple benefits to the people and the country,” he said in the statement.

MOF also explained that since the implementation of BUDI95, 16.55 million Malaysians are eligible to enjoy the subsidized price of RON95 at a rate of RM1.99 per litre compared to RM2.60 per litre without the subsidy, exceeding the original projection of 15 million people.

Under the BUDI95 program, all Malaysian MyKad holders aged 16 and above who have an active driving license are eligible to purchase subsidized RON95 up to 300 liters per month.

According to the ministry, since Oct 13, the MADANI Government has increased the monthly qualification ceiling limit for full-time e-hailing drivers to 600 litres per month, benefiting almost 58,000 e-hailing drivers nationwide.

“On average, BUDI95 recipients under the private category recorded a consumption of 98.2 litres per month for October 2025, far lower than the set monthly eligibility limit of 300 litres.
“As of 26 Oct 2025, only less than 0.7 percent of total BUDI95 recipients have fully utilized their monthly entitlement before the end of the month,” the statement said.

MOF also detailed that only 0.6 percent among private users have fully utilized the 300-litre monthly limit, while for registered boat users without a driving license, only 0.3 percent have fully utilized the monthly entitlement.

As a commitment to strengthening the implementation of BUDI95, the MADANI Government will implement improvements from time to time, including reviewing additional qualification limits for e-hailing drivers to be more equitable and comprehensive.

The ministry also said it had identified several unusual usage patterns, including recipients who used up their entire monthly limit in a short period of time as well as repeated purchases at stations near the country’s borders.

“In this regard, the MADANI Government, through the MOF and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), will continue to strengthen monitoring at petrol stations and among consumers, to ensure that the benefits of BUDI95 are not misused.

“The government will not compromise on any fraudulent activities or resale of subsidized petrol to unqualified parties and strict action under the Supply Control Act 1961 will be taken against those involved,” the statement said.

— BERNAMA