Petition To Have Safer Bus Rides For Long Distance Routes

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We, the concerned youths of Malaysia express appalled anger towards the Slim River Bus Crash incident that claimed the life of Lee Nian Ning, Mohd. Zailani and Pang Boon Eng on the 25^th of January 2008. This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Despite numerous complaints and public uproar in the past, incidents like this continue to occur. It was reported that the driver’s company had 13 summonses on that bus itself. We find it unacceptable that such a company could have operated that vehicle on the road.

What are the explanations?

Hundreds of thousands of university students just like Nian Ning and us rely on such public transport to travel back home. A human life should not be taken lightly.

How could a vehicle with 13 summonses be free on the roads and not be held by the authorities?

We, the following, hereby demand that the relevant authorities set up a committee consisting of road safety experts and representatives from relevant public bodies to conduct a thorough study to find effective solutions to ensure that mistakes like this do not occur again in the future.

We will not be quiet until we see it in the media that satisfactory measures have been taken.

To sign the petition,

please click here

and submit your FULL NAME(as in IC. Please don't use your nicknames or initials.) and e-mail. It will be considered one e-signature upon completion.

Alternatively, you may contact any of our representatives near you. (note their contact details at the sidebar)

Please do not leave initials or nicknames, only full name is accepted.

We thank you for your co-operation. Let us pray for those who have died to make way for change and keep our fingers crossed that someone, anyone will hear us and enforce that change.


Please put this in forums, bulletins, emails, blogs.....everywhere. We need all the support we can get. This is for you as well.

Bus operators’ attitude on safety to be blamed for accidents

KUALA LUMPUR: Bus operators have been urged to adhere to the guidelines set by the Transport Ministry to ensure that drivers get adequate rest to prevent fatigue while driving.

Peninsular Malaysia Road Transport Officers Union president Hamzah Masri said the lackadaisical attitude of some bus operators on safety measures was to be blamed for fatal accidents.

He said the causes of bus accidents must be studied comprehensively, including on drivers fatigue and poor management.

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) must study whether drivers abide by the rules imposed by employing safe driving practices, he said when commenting on an express bus tragedy in Ipoh South recently.

Ten passengers were killed and two injured after a doubledecker Sani Express bus skidded and hit a guard rail at Km272.8 of the NorthSouth Expressway as it was heading north, about 8km from the Ipoh South toll plaza on Dec 26.

"If bus drivers are in good health and drive in a comfortable condition and are not at the wheel continuously for long hours, fatal accidents could be averted," he said.

Hamzah said public transport operators must abide by the rules stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 to prevent accidents. - Bernama

So many laws, so little enforcement

The Star Online

There is sufficient legislation governing the express bus industry which is responsible for the lives of many but lax enforcement remains the problem.

CAN our officials in charge of road safety and politicians please shut up and stop appearing in front of television cameras each time a bus tragedy occurs?

Their oft-repeated views hold little value, especially to the families of innocent passengers killed in accidents caused by rogue drivers or sleepyheads not fit for driving.

In the latest tragedy last Saturday, a double-decker express bus skidded and crash into the divider on the North-South Expressway (NSE) in Ipoh, leaving 10 passengers dead and three injured.

There always a big hue and cry after each tragic episode. A customary probe and an increased enforcement are the usual knee-jerk responses.

But we expect the checks and issuance of summonses to peter out, especially when bus drivers retaliate by not turning up for work.

Operators would plead with the authorities to go easy on enforcement and soon enough, it will be back to the old “close-one-eye” scenario until the next tragic accident.

May I suggest that top officials of the Road Transport Department, the Road Safety Department, and senior traffic police officers take a drive on the 880km NSE at night?

They should be able to experience the scare of driving next to speeding express bus drivers and tour bus drivers, including those from our strict-on-rules southern neighbours.

Passengers and other motorists are subjected to huge risks by these reckless daredevils, who also include texting truck drivers,

My closest shave with one of them came between the Seremban and Malacca stretch around midnight on Dec 23.

An express bus that must have been running at 130kmh, forced me off the fast lane to the middle lane near Rembau area.

While I was still in the lane a short distance down, another express bus and a Singapore-registered tour bus overtook my car on the right AND the left.

At the speed these buses run, it is a miracle that deaths are not daily occurences.

Part of the problem is the poor pay given to drivers in what must surely be a lucrative business that has 187 players and more clamouring to come in.

With a basic salary as low as RM500, drivers have to earn “trip allowances” to take home between RM2,000 and RM3,000 a month. That usually means forgoing sleep or staying awake with the help of drugs.

Their use of psychotropic pills is old hat but the issue remains unresolved.

Two years ago, the Consumers association of Penang (CAP) highlighted the confession of a drug user — an express bus driver who had been plying the Kuala Lumpur-Terengganu route for 10 years.

With the the pill, he said “eyes were awake but the brain is asleep”, adding that most drivers tend to speed because they would otherwise feel sleepy.

His confession came in the wake of the country’s worst express bus tragedy. Twenty passengers died when the bus heading from Johor Baru to Alor Star, skidded and overturned on the expressway near Bukit Gantang, in Perak.

In the 4am accident, the bus crashed through the guardrail, continued its run into a concrete drain and fell into a 6m ravine.

The express bus industry is responsible for the lives of many. There are sufficient laws under the police, Road Transport Department, Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board and the Road Safety Department to governing the industry.

But as always, the problem lies with lax enforcement.

In addition to the laws, we now have the Safety Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP) for the sector.

The SHE code was developed in 2007 after a series of high profile accidents involving commercial vehicles, notably the Bukit Gantang crash.

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), has since conducted a commendable study on its effectiveness.

Miros evaluated speeding violations using Global Positioning System (GPS) units installed in selected buses.

According to Miros director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, the number of bus accidents dropped by as much as 36%.

But SHE is just a code and not compulsory. There are 165 fleet operators out there who have yet to comply with its requirements.

The Cabinet Committee on Road Safety chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, which is scheduled to meet soon, should seriously think about making the code mandatory for all commercial vehicles.

With self-regulation being the focus of the code, express bus firms must bear more responsibilities, with CEOs made accountable for accidents involving their buses.

The onus should be on the companies to initiate the right policies, set up effective organisation and frameworks for planning and implementation, conduct evaluations and take actions for improvement.

But then again, if the code is made compulsory as yet another punitive law, would there be effective enforcement?

> Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan likes this quote by Austrian satirist Karl Kraus: What good is speed if the brain has oozed out on the way?

Lowly-paid and exhausted drivers behind most accidents

PETALING JAYA: They are underpaid, undertrained and overworked. And they lie at the bottom of the pile as far as commercial vehicle drivers are concerned.

While lorry and truck drivers can earn between RM4,000 and RM5,000 a month, non-unionised bus drivers get as little as RM500 in basic salary.

To make ends meet, they have to work overtime, drive more trips and in so doing, forgo their sleep.

This, many say, is the real reason why shocking express bus accidents still occur with horrifying regularity.

Checks with trade organisations and unions revealed that bus drivers are among the lowest paid drivers of commercial vehicles.

The Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association (PMBOA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) say the average pay for a driver with five years’ experience is between RM2,000 and RM3,000 including allowances. Lorry drivers are paid much more.

The lower salary tends to compel drivers to work longer than they should, and some take drugs to stay awake.

TWU secretary-general Datuk Zainal Rampak believes there are about 2,000 non-unionised drivers compared to over 4,000 who work with companies which allow union representation.

“Records show that many accidents involve express buses companies whose drivers are not unionised,” he said.

He pointed out that the employees of Sani Express Sdn Bhd, whose bus slammed into a divider on the North-South Expressway near Ipoh killing 10 passengers on Sunday, were not unionised.

However, this does not mean that Sani Express’ drivers are underpaid.

Zainal said another shortcoming was a lack of training for drivers.

The Government, he said, should seriously check on express bus driver training, experience and physical fitness before allowing them to drive long distance.

“Some drivers who have just received their public service vehicle licence have been told to drive long distances immediately,” he said.

PMBOA president Datuk Ashfar Ali said bus drivers are “being paid well”, and he agrees that there should be training for them.

He said the Government should come into the picture by giving soft loans, such as those provided for unemployed graduates, for training for commercial vehicle driving.

“Driving a bus or lorry is a skill. It is like learning to use a computer,” he said.

He said the industry at the moment makes its new drivers work through a trial period on short-haul routes before “graduating” to long-distance drives.

Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board chairman Datuk Halimah Sadique said bus operators must look into the welfare of their drivers as a way to prevent mishaps.

“You can have a bus with a speed limiter and GPS but if the driver is not good or is inexperienced, it defeats the purpose of such technology,” she said.

“This is about the safety of people,” she said.

Currently, there is no centralised training programme for commercial vehicle drivers except for the Road Transport Department test for them to obtain their public service vehicle or goods driving licences.

An attempt was made in 2005 to make drivers of commercial vehicles undergo compulsory training at a privatised training facility but the proposal met strong objections and was postponed indefinitely.

Double decker bus drivers need additional training

IPOH: The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) has urged the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) to exercise caution when approving permits for double-decker buses.

Its director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said a more capable driver was needed to drive that kind of bus.

”Double-decker buses have different requirements and only professional drivers should be allowed to handle it,” he told a press conference here Sunday.

Dr Ahmad Farhan, who was here with Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh to inspect the ill-fated Sani Express coach, added that drivers handling double-decker buses should be given ample training.

On calls that express bus be barred from travelling at night to curb such incidents, Dr Ahmad Farhan said the institute was against the idea.

”Our research shows that half of the passengers who use express bus services travel at night.”

”If the ban is enforced, passengers would have to use alternative mode of transport like motorcycle,” he said, adding that the institute did not want to take the risk as it encourages the people to use public transport.

The institute’s research also showed that passengers preferred to travel at night as they wanted to optimise their time with their family the next day, said Dr Ahmad Farhan.

”What is more important is express bus companies regulate themselves,” he said.

Suret Singh meanwhile said the department was saddened by CVLB decision not to suspend Sani Express coach’s permit.

”It is not a question of making life difficult for passengers but its to show the Government’s seriousness in tackling the issue,” he said, adding that the people would stop using public transport if it was not assuring.

He also hoped that the incident should be a lesson to all express bus drivers.

”If drivers feel sleepy, they should find a safe place to stop and rest or hand over the vehicle to a co-driver,” he said.

Road Transport Department enforcement director Salim Parlan, who was also present, confirmed that the road tax and the driving license of the express bus driver in question were still valid.

”It was also checked by my officers before it departed from Klang on Friday evening and everything was in order,” he said.

In the 1am Saturday incident, 10 people died after the bus skid and crashed into the divider of the North-South Expressway, 5km away from the Jelapang toll plaza.

Bus skidded before crash, survivor recalls

IPOH: The bus that National Service camp commandant Mohd Razip Fadzil was on had just left the Tapah rest area when he started to doze off.

However, less than an hour after the stop on the North-South Express­way, he was rudely jolted from his slumber and thrown from his seat at the back of the bus to the front near the driver.

“I was too shocked to realise that there had been an accident until I saw bodies in front of me,” he recalled.

Mohd Razip, 43, was admitted to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hos­pital here with four broken ribs. “I am thankful to be alive,” he said.

The horrific crash early yesterday killed 10 passengers and left three injured.

Two of the injured were discharged from the hospital yesterday after receiving treatment.

All 10 victims died on the spot. The impact of the crash caused two to be thrown outside the bus. One of the victims was decapitated.

Another passenger Marziana Mah­­mud, 24, alleged that the driver had appeared drowsy moments be­­fore the accident.

“The vehicle was veering to the left and right before it hit the divider and side railings,” claimed the civil servant who was seated in the front seat on the upper deck.

It was a heart-wrenching scene at the mortuary here as relatives came as early as 8am to claim the victims’ bodies.

Ng Chin Beng, 47, said his eldest daughter Poh Ngoh, 23, had gone to Shah Alam for a job interview.

Ng, who also lost his 14-year-old son Kah Kit in the incident, said Poh Ngoh had graduated from Universiti Utara Malaysia recently.

“She was successful in the interview and they wanted my daughter to start work on Jan 4,” said the father of four in between sobs.

Ng, a businessman, added that his children were to have reached Alor Setar at 5am.

“When they did not arrive, I frantically called their mobile phones.

“The death of my children was confirmed by a policeman who picked up my son’s phone,” he said.

Another victim Noor Jismi Noor­din, 25, was returning to Kangar for his engagement.

His brother Noor Jafni said Noor Jismi, who started working in a printing plant in Shah Alam just three months ago, was to be engaged today.

Mohd Razzekhi Musa, 33, said his father Musa @ Ismail Abdullah had gone to Shah Alam to attend a relative’s wedding.

“I was supposed to pick him up at 3am in Sungai Petani. When he failed to turn up by 4am, I called the police who confirmed my father’s death,” he said.

In Klang, Mohd Arif Andi Shaharin said he last saw his parents Shaharin Mohd Noor and Supiah Adam when they boarded the express bus at the Section 17 bus terminal in Shah Alam on Friday night.

“We never thought it would be the last time we would see them alive,” said Mohd Arif Andi, 23, who has four siblings.

Mohd Arif Andi said his lorry driver father often travelled to the northern states for work and sometimes took his wife along.

He said he was informed of the tragedy at 7am yesterday and rushed with his siblings to Ipoh to claim their parents’ remains.

“We are shattered but accept it as Allah’s will,” said Mohd Arif Andi.

Horror before shift change

IPOH: Driver Mohd Kamil Mohd Ra­­shid was feeling sleepy as his bus was leaving the Tapah rest area.

He had planned to have his co-driver take over at the next stop — the Sungai Perak rest area.

They never made it that far.



The double-decker express bus skidded and crashed into a road divi­der, killing 10 passengers less than an hour later, just 5km before the Jelapang toll plaza.

The 38-year-old driver admitted that he had dozed off prior to the ac­cident, said Ipoh traffic chief De­­puty Supt Mohd Rodzi Rajab.

“He had stopped at the Tapah rest area earlier and planned to change duty with his co-driver at the Sungai Perak rest area,” he said.

Supt Mohd Radzi said that Mohd Kamil tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

Co-driver Mohd Syahridzal Abu Hassan, 24, escaped unhurt.

DSP Mohd Rodzi said Mohd Kamil has been remanded until Wednes-day to facilitate investigations.

He said that the bus had no previous speeding summonses.

However, it is learnt that the driver has a past traffic record.

The double-decker bus, owned by the Klang-based Sani Express Sdn Bhd, skidded before hitting a road di­vider at the 272nd kilometre stretch of the the North-South Ex­­press­­way at 1am yesterday.

All the 10 victims were seated on the lower deck of the bus, which departed from Klang at 9pm on Friday for Kangar in Perlis with 48 passengers.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the Govern­ment should consider ban­­ning night trips by express buses.

“If the move will safeguard the lives of the people, it should be considered,” he said at the Raja Per­mai­suri Bainun Hospital mortuary here yesterday.

Dr Zambry was there to console families of victims in the horrific crash, which also left three injured.

The dead were identified as Shaharin Mohd Noor, 61, and his wife Supiah Adam, 46, of Taman Setia in Klang, Musa @ Ismail Abdul­lah, 64, from Gurun, Mohd Shukri Mohd Ali, 22, of Sungai Besar, Noor Jismi Noordin, 25, from Kangar, Mohd Bilal Osman, 22, from Sungai Besar, siblings Ng Poh Ngoh, 23, and Ng Kah Kit, 14, from Alor Setar, sisters Sharifah Raheel Al-Junid Syed Harun, 21, and Sharifah Hasanah Al Junid Syed Harun, 15, from Sungai Petani.

Sani Express chief executive officer Mejar (R) Haji Abu Bakar Moham­mad said the bus, which had been in service for three months, was well maintained and in good condition.

Initial investigations based on the on-board global positioning system found that the bus was not speeding as it was fitted with a speed-limiter, he said in a statement yesterday.

“We are waiting for investigations to be concluded and we will act ac­­cording to the report,” he said.

He added that his company would fully cooperate with the authorities.

Mejar Abu Bakar also said the company would be allocating some money for the families of each victim.

10 killed, 2 injured in accident in Ipoh

IPOH: Ten passengers died while two were injured, one seriously, after a double-decker Sani Express coach skidded and hit a road divider at KM272.8 North-South Highway heading north eight kilometres from the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza at 1 am.

The 12 people had been seated on the lower deck of the bus, said state traffic police chief Supt Wan Abdullah Ishak said.

The two drivers and 36 other passengers were unhurt, he added.

Wan Abdullah said those killed in the accident were Shaharin Mohd Nor, 61, and Supiah Adam, 46, (believed to Shaharin's wife), both from Taman Setia, Klang, Selangor; Musa alias Ismail Abdullah, 64, from Gurun, Kedah; Mohd Shukri Mohd Ali, 22, of Sungai Besar, Selangor; Noor Jasmi Noordin, 25, from Kangar, Perlis Mohd Bilal Osman, 22, from Sungai Besar, Selangor; Ng Kah Kit, 14, (a boy) and Ng Poh Ngoh, 23, (a woman) from Alor Star, Kedah (their relationship has yet to be established); Sharifah Raheel Al-Junid Syed Harun, 21, from Sungai Petani, Kedah; and a woman believed to be a Malay, who has yet to be identified.-- Bernama

Bus companies to be held accountable for hiring bad drivers

PUTRAJAYA: Public transport companies will be held accountable for hiring drivers with a bad record in a move to stem accidents involving public transport due to “human error.”

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the number of accidents involving public transport was worrying and “something drastic and effective needs to be done to at least minimise this.”

“The first thing to do is to compile a list of drivers employed by transport companies and from there, we will check official records for those who have been involved in accidents, been fined numerous times and for other road offences.

“Once the list is ready public transport companies will be advised accordingly.

“We realise the demand for drivers are high and that is why companies are willing to employ even those who have a bad record.

“But employing such drivers will not help. In fact, it can make matters worse as this allows irresponsible drivers to continue to be on the road.

“With the Hari Raya Aidilfitri coming, all eyes will be on public transportation and I shiver with concern everytime I think of the situation because people need to be assured that not only are the vehicles safe, but the drivers are a responsible lot too,” he told reporters after launching the Scania-Plusliner X-treme double decker bus Monday.

Nazri said companies which employ “bad drivers” would be penalised, which would include losing their permits.

He said laws would also be amended so that companies whose drivers got involved in accidents and committed serious traffic offences would be held responsible.

“We need to show to the public that we are serious in protecting their safety on the road. I will ask the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) to come up with the list soon so that what we have planned for can take effect as soon as possible,” he said.

“As a long term measure, we are looking at the possibility of introducing a driving school for those who wishing to make driving public vehicles their career. Present drivers will also have to undergo refresher courses yearly,” he said.

On another matter, Nazri said he would announce the new ceiling price for public transport on July 16 but declined to elaborate.

“Just wait for the announcement,” he said.

Nazri had earlier said the hike would be “most minimal,” over and above the 30% surcharge which the Government had allowed express bus operators to impose during last year’s Hari Raya.

The surcharge was initially approved by the Government during the one-month Hari Raya period, but express bus operators were allowed to continue charging the increased fare indefinitely after an appeal.

Govt plans GPS devices on buses to curb speeding

THE Government is considering getting bus companies to install Global Positioning System (GPS) devices on buses to keep tabs on speed limit offences by express bus driver.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said that from Aug 18, 2009 the buses must have the equipment before the vehicles are licensed by the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Department.

The GPS mechanism would enable express bus operators to monitor the buses including speed limit offences, Ong told Datuk Johari Abdul (PKR-Sungai Petani) who asked if the ministry had a way to check speeding express buses.

Fatal accidents involving express buses totalled 661 cases from 2000 to last year, while 97 accidents were recorded involving tour buses from 2000 to last year, said Ong.

He said ensuring the safety of passengers should be the onus of the bus companies.

Ong said the Transport Ministry, together with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health have prepared a Safety, Health and Environment code to make express bus companies responsible for the safety of buses and passengers.

Johari continued pursuing the matter by citing a report he had received about a Transnasional express bus which left Sungai Petani at 12.03am and reached Kuala Lumpur at 3.45am.

“Under normal circumstances, the journey from Sungai Petani to Kuala Lumpur cannot be completed within that period (three hours and 45 minutes),” he said, adding that even if an MPV had been driven at 160kph, it would have taken about four-and-a-half hours to reach Kuala Lumpur.

Johari said that many lives could be saved if the speed of the express buses could be monitored.

In reply, Ong said: “It is not an issue of whether to install mechanisms. What is more important is the way things are monitored and handled.”

Govt proposes mechanism to limit bus speed

UALA TERENGGANU: The government has proposed introducing a mechanism to limit the speed of express and stage buses at 90km per hour in a move to ensure passenger safety.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said the suggestion would be brought to the Cabinet for discussion due to the dangerous manner the public transport vehicle was being driven these days.

He said this regulation had been implemented in several developed countries such as Germany and Japan, and he hoped that this would help prevent road fatalities involving bus passengers in the future.

"I don't think there is a need to put up signboards or anything. Express buses are sometimes driven fast in this country, especially now with the existence of doubledecker buses that can put other motorists' lives in danger.

"We must fix the speed limit at 90km per hour...or at whatever suitable speed limit," he said after handing over approval letters to 73 rental car drivers from throughout Terengganu, here, Tuesday.

Also present was Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) chairman, Datuk Markiman Kobiran.

Nazri said that previously, various measures were implemented to get express bus drivers to adhere to the speed limit such as making compulsory the installation of the black boxes and using the Global Positioning System (GPs), but to no avail.

He said the government also suggested establishing a public transport driving school to train future drivers of buses and other public transport vehicles, as well as forming the National Public Tranport Commission.

Nazri said the proposed driving school would be a long term solution, where the participants would undergo a basic course for three to four months before being given a permit to drive a public transport vehicle.

"The school will also record and keep all data and information regarding the drivers, and the records updated to ensure that drivers with offences are not hired by any public transport company," he said.

In another development, Nazri said he had sent the memorandum to all the ministries on the proposed fare increase for all public transport, and was waiting for feedback before the matter could be brought to the Cabinet. - Bernama

Two die, seven hurt in bus and trailer crash

KUANTAN: Two people were killed and seven seriously hurt in a crash between a Transnasional bus and a trailer at Km31 Jalan Kuantan-Maran last night.

The dead were identified as trailer driver Khairil Nizam Mohamed, 31, of Kampung Padang Midin, Kuala Terengganu and bus passenger Sabariah Arif, 32, of Felda Purun, Triang.

Pahang traffic police enforcement officer ASP Zainalabidin Othman said the express bus with 21 passengers was travelling from Kuantan to Temerloh when it collided with the trailer at 8.45pm.

The seven hurt were bus driver Mohd Zaladin Ripin, 42, trailer attendant Yusof Hassan, 47, passengers Tuan Suziyzti Tuan Nor, 24, Aulia Hassan Basri, 32, Mohd Johar Yadin, 56, Abdul Rahman Abdullah, 19, and Raja Ahmad Suari Raja Abu Bakar, 40.

The injured passengers were treated at Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital, Kuantan.

"The bus was believed to have strayed into the path of the oncoming trailer laden with fertilisers," said Zainalabidin.

The crash badly damaged the front part of the trailer while the front half of the bus was also damaged.

Public with information on the crash should contact Kuantan traffic investigation officer Insp Lim Beng Thye at 09-5156111.

Entire bus fleet suspended after fatal accident

PUTRAJAYA: The Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) has suspended for one month all eight buses belonging to AB Express Sdn Bhd after an audit showed it had failed to comply with travel safety related procedures and neglected training its drivers.

CVLB chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran said the board had conducted an audit after one of the company’s express buses crashed near Rawang last April 13, killing six people.

Initial investigations found that the bus driver Fauzi Mohammed, 34, had eight summonses for speeding, while co-driver Zulkhibri Md Saad, 35, had six summonses and five arrest warrants for the same offence.

Among the board’s findings that led to the suspension, said Markiman, were AB Express’ failure to comply with several procedures under the Safety, Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE).

He said in a statement that the company failed to produce records as required under SHE to prove it had taken any action with regard to the safety of the buses, travel risk management and the management of its drivers and the fines issued to them.

During the suspension (from yesterday till June 3), the company’s top management must attend courses on SHE organised by the Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research and the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH).

SPOTLIGHT: Website receives 10,000 signatures

News Straits Times 19th April 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: When Lee Nian Ning and two others died in a bus crash in Slim River last year, their family and friends set up a website called 'Bus Crash No More'.

They set up a petition drive on the website which netted nearly 10,000 signatures.

Their petition letter, addressed to the minister of transport, opened with the line:

"We, the concerned youths of Malaysia express anger over the Slim River Bus Crash incident that claimed the lives of Lee Nian Ning and two others on Jan 25 2008.

"This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Despite numerous complaints and public uproar in the past, incidents like this continue to occur.
"It was reported that the driver's company had 13 summonses on that bus itself. We find it unacceptable that such a company could have operated that vehicle on the road."

There is a blogroll where dozens of bloggers wrote their messages of condolences for her.

While in newspaper reports, Lee was described as just a 21-year-old victim of a bus crash, in the blogs, a picture of the young, exuberant girl emerges from the numerous posts made by friends.

Abby, a schoolmate, wrote: "She had everything going for her. Supermodel gorgeous, super smart, impressive resume, a supportive family, a doting long-time boyfriend, and many, many friends who loved her to bits.

"Who knew when she packed her bags for the trip to KL, that she was going on an entirely different unexpected trip?

"Who knew that when she said goodbye to her family that day, it would be her final farewell?"

Express bus rams into car, killing mom and children

BATU PAHAT: A mother and her two young children were burnt to death after an express bus rammed into their car and set it aflame at KM16 of Jalan Kluang here on Thursday.

Siti Kalsom Borhan, 35, Sahira Aisha, six, and Sahira Aliya Hafiz, three, died on the spot. Their bodies have been sent to the Batu Pahat Hospital for a post-mortem.

The 46-year-old bus driver and his eight passengers escaped unhurt.

Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ibrahim Aris said both vehicles were heading toward Kluang from Batu Pahat at 11.50am when the accident took place.

He added that the bus driver was overtaking a vehicle on his left when he rammed into the victim’s vehicle, which had stopped at the centre of the road to turn right.

“The impact caused the car to be dragged for about 15m,” he said.

ACP Ibrahim also said that the driver, who hails from Pasir Gudang, is expected to be charged in court Friday under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

He added that investigations also showed that the bus driver has six prior summonses for various traffic offences.

Central system on bus drivers’ history needed

PETALING JAYA: Bus operators have asked for an easier way to check the background of drivers and suggested a centralised system to check for summonses issued to reckless drivers.

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Datuk Ashfar Ali said a real-time central database should be set up quickly to allow the operators to see their drivers and potential employees’ summons history.

“Now, the summonses from the Road Transport Department (JPJ), Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) and police are put into separate systems,” he told The Star yesterday.

Because of the lack of update on the database, bus operators found it difficult to trace the summonses issued to errant drivers.

“How would I know when a driver has committed a traffic offence?” he said, adding that the police had even sent notices to some operators and asked for the records of their drivers for the past five years.

“I have told the Government about this many times through press statements and meetings but no one seems to be listening,” he said. Summons records of individual drivers were often “wiped out” as soon as the summonses were paid.

Ashfar also urged the CVLB to blacklist errant drivers and not the vehicles owned by the bus operators.

“They blacklist the vehicles and not the drivers. This prevents the companies from renewing road tax while the drivers get off scot-free,” he said.

JPJ director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan, however, said that the issue was the behaviour of the drivers and whether they had outstanding summonses, not how many summonses they had.

“It’s totally up to the bus operators whether to employ them or not.

“Bus operators must check their drivers’ background and past experiences before hiring. If they want a summons history, all they have to do is check with the JPJ,” he said.

Solah agreed with CVLB director Datuk Markiman Kobiran’s suggestion that bus operators check the background of their drivers to prevent tragedies like Monday’s crash on the North-South Expressway which left six people dead.

6 die, 5 injured in express bus crash

RAWANG: Five passengers and the driver of an express bus died while five others were injured after the bus skidded, hit the divider and overturned at Km443 of the North-South Expressway near here Monday morning.

Police said the accident occurred at about 5.30am after the double-decker bus, carrying 34 passengers from Changlun, Kedah, went out of control.

The dead were Muhamad Ismail, 27, of Kampung Lubuk Batu, Jitra; Mohamad Fauzi Awang, 57, Kampung Siam, Alor Setar; Md Jaheer Mohamad, 33, Kodiang; Mohd Yusril Zakaria, 27, Kuala Muda, Kedah, C.Magentharan, 26, Kelang, and bus driver Zulkhibri Md Saad, 35, of Kubang Ulu, Bukit Mertajam.

All the dead and the injured were sent to the Sungai Buluh Hospital. - Bernama

Express buses encouraged to install GPS

IPOH: Express bus companies are encouraged to install the Global Positioning System (GPS) on all its buses to monitor their movements and location, Perak Road Transport Department director Md Yasir Mastakim said.

Md Yasir said the GPS would help deter bus drivers from committing offences on the road and minimise road accidents. "With the system, drivers would automatically observe self-discipline and follow the rules," said Md Yasir at the launch of Sri Maju Sarata Ekspres Sdn Bhd's double-decker buses here Thursday.

"The GPS will allow bus companies to monitor the location and the speed of their buses from their headquarters," he added. Md Yasir said the system could also help track down how many times their drivers have broken the law.

He added that most bus companies in foreign countries have installed the system in their buses.

Md Yasir said express bus companies should also advise passengers to fasten the seatbelts available on their buses.

"Although the regulation to wear seatbelt on buses has not been enforced, all passengers should be encourage to fasten their safety belts for their safety.

He noted that the regulation would be implemented and is pending approval from the government.

Earlier, Md Yasir launched Sri Maju's two double-decker express buses.

The buses, which started operations Thursday, would ply the Ipoh - Haadyai and Ipoh - Singapore routes.

In Loving Memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)

Family mourns loss of beautiful, intelligent go-getter


If you have a blog and you happen to blog about this tragic accident or about any of the three victims who lost their lives, kindly leave your permalinks in the comment box so that we can add your link to the list.


BLOGROLL

5x Mom - Do Something, Get Involved
Aaron Peng - An Accident Waiting to Happen? Or just Pure Negligence?
Abigail - In Loving Memory
Ada Foo - =(
Alexlim - Bus Crash No More!!!
Alpha Lim - Can You Make A Difference?
Alyson - Bus Crash No More
Amelia - Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy
Amelia Tay - Bus Crash No More
An Acquired Taste - If Somebody Cared
An Extraordinary Life - In Loving Memory of Nian Ning (1987-2008)
Angelicassie - you only live once
Angie Lim - Petitions and Sorrow
Antraxxxx - Help Nian Ning's Family. Banish The Devils Off The Road
Aronil - Just Me - Lee Nian Ning
Az1 - Hell Bus
Baking Music - Life's Journey Is Like Baking Bread
Bangsa Malaysia - Bus Crash No More
Beatrice Chin - What’s with all the Bus Crashes?!!?
Bongholio - Lee Nian Ning, RIP. Daughter, Doctor to be, PSD Scholar and Blogger (1987-2008)
Casper - An Unforeseen Death
Charmaine Tung - Oh-So-Sudden
Chen Chow - In Memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)
Chin - People Would Stop To Hold Their Heads
Cheryl - RIP Nian Ning
Chrys - Irresponsible Bus Drivers - Harbingers of Doom
Cuxinn - Lee Nian Ning
David Cheong - Chinese New Year is not what it used to be...
Davids Lim - In Memory of Lee Nian Ning
Deaf-Knee - Opposite Of Life Is Not Death
Desmond Tan - Not The Driver's Fault?
Desmond Tan - Tribute to Nianz
Desmond Tan - It's Amazing....It's Getting Attention
Desmond Tan- Solemn
Diane Cheah - Be Heard
Doggy Thoughts - RIP Nian Ning
Dr. Saravanan R. - Bus Crash No More
E-Jian - Rest In Peace
Eddie Lim - Sign Petition Now
Enter My Paradise - Rest In Peace Lee Nian Ning
Exotique Toxin - It Goes On
Elyn - sob stories?
Eve - Let's Do Ourselves A Favour
Eyeris - Random Links To Stuff I Wanna Blog About But Have No Time To
fabs - sad...sad...
Fiona Lee - a twist of fate..
Flower Monster - I Have A Blog
Footiam - Caring Moments
Genova - Bus Crash No More
Gloria Fong - R.I.P. Nian Ning
harassarah - RIP
Haris Ibrahim of The People's Parliment - Bus Crash No More (An Online Petition)
Him Vingie - Two Die Three Injured In Bus Accident
Huei - Buses Kills
Hui Ling - Bus Crash No More
Isaac's Blog - A Moment of Silence
Isaac's Blog - Please Give A Lending Hand To Spread This News
James Ooi @ The J Blog - Bus Crashes - When Is It Going To End?
James Ooi @ The J Blog - Check On Metro Bus Drivers Too
Jamie - A Tragic Accident On Slim River
Jase Lee - Bad Bus Drivers
Jason Lim- You Will Be Remembered
Jason Lim- Malaysians Mudah Lupa
Jason Lim- The Petition Is Up - Make A Difference
Jason Mumbles - Help Nian Ning's Family, Fight With Them
Jason Tan - Lee Nian Ning's Memorial Service
Jamie Lim's Site - Please Do Something
Jed Chuan - Life Lost
Jeff Ooi - Can You Make a Difference, MoT?
Jen - Bus Crash No More
Jennihsurf.net - Life is Precious. Please Love Each Other
Jing Ju - My Heart Aches Everytime I Hear
Jolene Lai - Help Nian Ning's Family, Fight With Them
Jolene Lai - RIP : I Never Knew Her But I Can Just Imagine
Jolene Lai - The Petittion Is Up
Jon Cheah - Petition For A Safer Long Distance Bus
Joo Sing - In loving memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)
Jun Lin - One way Ticket
Jun Lin - Memorial Service, Post-event report/thoughts
Jun Qi - Wednesday, January 30 2008
Jymystique - Young Lives Taken Becoz of Reckless Bus Drivers Taken each Year, Again and Again!!
Kanki - Life Is Full of Unpredictables
Kah Yin - Deeply Miss~Nianz
Kavita - The Bus Crash
Kellster - Monday, January 28, 2008
Kennysia - Blog Plug
Kevin Goh - May You Rest In Peace to the beloved Lee Nian Ning
Khngyi - One Voice
Khiahsu - Bus Crash No More
Kinkybluefairy - Excerpt
Klang Community Space - Kimmy Sia - Bus Crash No More
Kylie - Petition Up
Kyspeaks - Are You Travelling By Long Haul Bus This CNY?
Life is One Big Party When You're Still Young - Nian
Lingzie - We Can Make A Difference!
Loving Life - Sooky - Reckless Bus Drivers Taking Lives
Malaysian Medical Resources - Palmdoc - Death of A Medical Student
May Leng - In Loving Memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)
Melllzzz - Tragedy
Milin - [Petition] Bus Crash No More
Mingming - RIP
Mr. Berng - Brand New Year, Same Old Luck
Mushie Moshiu - The Lost of Nian Ning
My Name is Adelyn - Followup On Nian Ning
My World, My Life - If You Care, A Message
Nickypm - Yet another tragedy
Noc - Pls support them~!!!
Noir Illusions - Bus Crash
Norman Ng - When Do We Stop Running Away...?
Orange - Buses....
Orang Cina - Naik Bas
Pablopabla - Lee Nian Ning's Case. Some thoughts...
Pamela Tan - pam: debelief
Patchay - Now You Can Make A Difference
Patrick Gun - Help Nian Ning's Family, Fight With Them
Paul - Lost For Words
Pei Wen - A Message
Personal Bubble - Chiew - A Real Loss
Pingy Ping - Lee Nian Ning's Tragedy
Pinkpau - These Things In Point Form
Psychobabble by Xinch - Remember Nian Ning
Puckishkel - RIP: Lee Nian Ning 1987-2008
Pyroboy1911 - Paying Last Respects...
Rindiggfelt - Rest in peace, my dear friend.
Ryan - Let's Put A Full Stop
Sai Mun - Bus Crash No More...
Sara Khoo (i hope you don't mind me putting this, Sara. Sara is the gf of Chung Lern's brother, Chung Wei. I cried again while reading her post) - Of loss and grief- Ning
Sesshy - In Memories Of Nian Ning
Shin - Bus Crash No More - Chinese Blog
Shiroyuu - It Never Rains But Pours
Shu-Fenn - May You Rest In Peace, Nian Ning...
Siciliano888 - Lee Nian Ning
SilverIsle - Two Old Old Eggs
Simontalks - Don't Play Games With Our Lives
SK Chua - Petition for our rights for safer roads and travel
SlowcatchupKuan - Online Petition: Safe Bus Ride
Stephen - Online Petition for Nian Ning
Su Lin - Affected
Sue Hsia - Life is so short.
Sue Me If You Can - Show Some Support
Susan Chan - A Tragic Accident
Suet Li - Sad Post
Syen, Neoh - My Space (kindly get permission to view this link)
Tan Shirlyn - Loss
Tan Yee Hou - I Am Not Happy
Tan Yee Wei - RIP: Can consumers make economics work in their favour?
Teefernee. - life, is just so fragile
Terence Lee - Bloggers, Time to be useful
The Cave - > : (
The Heart of the Matter - RIP Lee Nian Ning
The Journey of Life Through My Eyes - Cruelty of Life
The Ultimate Ulat King - For Better Future, Better Nation [Part 1]
Think It Out - Deathtraps on the Road
U~N - Another scary bus crash
Vanity is not a sin, darling - Adelene - It Goes On
Wei Kang - In Loving Memory~
Whatablog - No Title
White Tissues - Keili - An Accident Waiting To Happen
WilliamT - Support Petition
Wingz - When You Purchase A Bus Ticket to go back to your hometown...what do you expect?
Winnie Chua - Back In KL, Safe and Sound
Withtintin - Life is NOT and NEVER fair
WYP-paige- Make a Difference - Sign the Petition
Thomas - Bus Crash No More!!
Yee Lin - Rest in peace
Yeo Seak Yeong - Bus Crash No More
Yi Chin - In Loving Memory of Nian Ning
Yiktsay - There Ain't Justice
Yinanayi - Please Make A Difference
yonglong89 - A small favour from fellow bloggers
Yothemans.com - Life Is A Precious Thing
You Know You Love Me - Nian Ning
Youngyew - An Untimely Demise
You're Somekinda Something - Ling - Scary Buses
Yuin Yin - For the One We Love
Yun Ying - Bus Crash No More
Zemian - I Saw the Shadow of Death Again
ZThon - Let's Join Them
Zzzyun - D.e.a.t.h.
Zzzyun - Memories from a Memorial


Please be sensitive when you leave your blog links. We appreciate thoughts about the issue but we do not appreciate it if you are sending us a link of something you copied entirely without adding anything of your own. Thank you.

This list is compiled so that the the victims' families(as you can see, mostly Nian Ning's family) would like to see a whole compilation of warm messages. So do continue to share your thoughts, not something copied. :)


Updated by Jason as of 12th February 2008, 2351hrs, +8 GMT

Please keep it coming!

Quick Clicks

Browse through buscrashnomore.blogspot.com easily with these links:


Notices

How You Can Help Offline
Memorial
A Map To Mahindrama's Temple
The Memorial - 3rd February 2008
Malaysians, Do NOT Get Us In Trouble With Your Comments

Letters and Opinions In The Media

Taking a Gamble
A Timely Wake-up Call
Who Says Corruption Does Not Kill?
Better Bus Travel For All
Bus Tragedy Was No Accident
How Many More, How Long More Should We Wait?
Letters To The Editor Of The Star (regarding Slim River Bus Crash)


Letters From Inspiring Individuals

Haris Ibrahim's (the man behind the "Save The Judiciary" petition) Email
This Email Makes Sense
Student Writes Letter To The Prime Minister

Newspaper Clippings Regarding Past Bus Crashes

20 Dead In Malaysian Bus Crash
Bukit Gantang Bus Crash: Victim No.22 Succumbs
Bukit Gantang Crash Aftermath
Chan: Refresher Courses A Must
Errant Bus Operators and Drivers Targeted
Five agencies in blitz over errant buses
CVLB backs jail move
JPJ To Conduct Checks At Bus Terminals
CVLB cards for express bus drivers
Foundation Cites JPJ officers for alleged negligence
Past Bus Tragedies
Bukit Gantang Carnage : Kang Choy Pointing Finger Of Blame At Everybody Except Himself
Cops: No warrant of arrest for 'fatal crash' bus driver


Newspaper Clippings of The Slim River Bus Crash

Two die, three injured in bus crash
Dua maut, 9 parah bas terbalik
Bus crash: Driver had 13 outstanding summonses
Seorang lagi penumpang bas ekspres meninggal
Pesan Beli Kain Kafan
Family Mourns Loss Of Beautiful, Intelligent Go-getter
Penumpang nampak pemandu bas main sms
Nian Ning's Memorial (Sin Chew Daily, Guang Ming, Nanyang)
Online petition for Nian Ning
Spotlight: Website receives 10,000 signatures


Blogroll

In Loving Memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)


Others

Pictures That Will Be Remembered

Bus service only by firms that clear all fines

PUTRAJAYA: Only express bus companies with vehicles cleared of all outstanding police summonses will be allowed to operate additional bus services during the Chinese New Year period.

“The buses should also not have any summonses issued by the Road Transport Department and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board,” said board chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran. He also reminded the companies not to pull out at the last minute or they would be blacklisted.

“The operators are also responsible in monitoring touts at their respective counters. They should not be in cohort with these unscrupulous people by charging consumers more that the permitted fare,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Road Safety Dept to conduct study on buses

The Star Online


MUAR: The Road Safety Department has been directed to carry out a viability study on express buses operating at night to prevent accidents.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat said he had received views and also discussed this with his counterparts in other countries on the matter.

Speaking to reporters here he said although a person had rested and slept during the day, it would be going against his biological clock to drive throughout the night.

“A person can become fatigued and we must accept the fact that the human body has been accustomed to resting or sleeping during the night,” he said.

The department is expected to complete the study soon, he said after opening the Muar Lions Club’s renal centre building in Sungai Abong yesterday.

Ong said besides night operation, the department would also consider extending the regulation on bus roof specifications for new buses to include older buses.

He said the specification was outlined by the United Nations Economic Commissions for Europe and the ministry wanted all buses to observe the R66 regulation ‑ which deals with roll over strength of buses.

He said the new regulation was imposed only on new buses but there were many old buses which the ministry felt should also comply with the R66 regulation.

Commenting to the crash of an express bus near Tangkak which killed 10 passengers recently, he said all related agencies would be involved in the study into the cause of the accident.

‘Introduce safety belts for express buses’

The Star Online

IPOH: The Government should make safety belts mandatory for express buses to minimise injuries and deaths from accidents.

Perak Gerakan publicity bureau chairman Choong Shean Yang said the safety of passengers would be greatly improved if seatbelts were used.

They would minimise injuries as passengers will not be thrown about during an accident or when the bus overturns, he said in a statement here Wednesday.

He said that the latest bus crash in Tangkak, Johor, on Sunday was a reminder that such a ruling was needed.

While bus operators had earlier objected to the move due to the cost, Choong said it was not valid anymore.

“Human life is more precious than the cost involved,” he said.

In the Sunday incident, 10 people, including a nine-year-old girl, were killed when the express bus they were in skidded and crashed into a tree at KM146.5 of the North-South Expressway near Tangkak.

They were among 26 passengers and two drivers heading to Johor Baru and Singapore from Perak in the 2am mishap.

Seven died at the scene while the others succumbed to their injuries at the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital here.

Nine die, 19 injured in bus crash near Tangkak

MUAR: Nine people, including five women, were killed and 19 others injured after an express bus overturned at Km146 of the North-South Expressway near Tangkak early Sunday.

However, the identities of the dead, including the driver and co-driver, have yet to be ascertained.

Muar police chief ACP Nasir Mohd Ali said the bus was carrying 28 people, including the driver and co-driver, when the accident occurred at about 2am when it was travelling from Ipoh to Johor Baru.

The injured passengers and the nine bodies have been taken to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital in Muar.

Initial investigation revealed that the driver lost control of the vehicle and it skidded and overturned, jolting the passengers out of their sleep.

The police and Fire and Rescue personnel took about an hour to remove the body of the driver who was pinned to his badly crushed seat.

Nasir is scheduled to give further details of the accident at a news conference later Sunday. - Bernama

Rear Seatbelt Dilemma

The Star

SUNGAI PETANI: Parents with four children are confused as to how they are to seat all their children into the back of the car without being caught for overloading.

“We cannot leave a child behind in the house when going out, neither can we afford to buy another vehicle to adjust to the new requirement on rear seat belts,” lamented trader Nordin Ahmad from Bandar Perdana Jasmin.

Nordin, 44, drives an Iswara Aeroback and is worried how he, his wife and four children would fit into their car without running the risk of being stopped by a policeman.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh has warned that motorists with more than three rear seat passengers could be fined for overloading.

“I am a low-income earner and have no other choice but to use only my Iswara for family travels. It is unfair to hold the driver responsible for ferrying more than three children in the rear seats,” said Nordin whose children ranged from seven to 13 years of age.

Restaurant operator Yeow Boon Fey, 44, from Taman Legenda Indah, said he would now have problems going out with his four children, aged between three and 15, his wife Yong Nyok Ching, 40, and mother Kong Yoke Mooi, 68.

“Tell me, what should I do? Should I buy another car or leave behind my mother or some of my children? I am confused.

“The authorities should be less rigid when imposing the regulations. We are not operating taxis but only want to take our family out in our car,” said Yeow, who has a Viva fitted with rear seat belts.

Kindergarten teacher Suzana Abdul Aziz, 38, from Taman Seri Jenaris, who also has four children, aged between five and 12, said although her family had a second car, they relied on their Iswara for balik kampung trips.

Mohd Desa Saidin, 42, a clerk at the National Registration Department in Kulim and married with four children aged between six and 13, said wearing rear seat belts was no guarantee that accidents would not endanger passengers’ lives.

“Even with all the safety measures, there are fatal accidents. What about accidents involving buses where many passengers die? Buses do not have safety belts,” he said.

Two More Perished in NSE Bus Crash

Adapted from The Star newspaper

RAWANG: Two people were killed and seven others seriously injured when the express bus they were in crashed into a divider before overturning at the 406th kilometre on the North-South Expressway.

The bus, Allison Express, carrying 18 passengers, was heading to Singapore from Penang when the driver was believed to have lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a bend during the 1.30pm incident yesterday.

The dead have been identified as Husaini Karim, 52, from George Town and Khoo Kheng Ch’ng, 77, from Ayer Hitam.

Selangor traffic police chief Supt Che Hussin Omar said, initial investigations revealed the driver lost control of the bus due to slippery road conditions following a heavy downpour.
“Two passengers died on the spot while those seriously injured have been warded at the Slim River and Sungai Buloh hospital,” he said.

Supt Che Hussin said the 44-year-old bus driver had three traffic summonses. An arrest warrant had also been issued for the driver.

A couple who only wanted to be known as Fong, 74, and his wife Lim, 68, said the driver had not been speeding.

“We did not feel the bus driver was speeding or driving recklessly. I believe the crash was because of the slippery road,” a bruised Fong, who was sitting in the front row, said.

Government wants bus passengers to belt up while on the road

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will make it compulsory for passengers on new buses to wear seat belts, particularly those on tourist coaches, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said.

He said the installation of seat belts was made compulsory for new buses, in line with the international standard as set by Act 80 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe from November 2007.

“The Government will enforce seat-belt fitting for new buses soon,” he said in reply to Senator Lee Chee Keong at the Dewan Negara yesterday.

Some tourist buses have already installed seat belts, out of responsibility to meet the international standards he said, adding that foreign tourists felt better having them.

On the requirement for cars to be fitted with rear seat belts, he said, it only applied to cars manufactured after Jan 1, 1995.

“Vehicles that do not have the belts must have them fitted within three years,” he said.

To a supplementary question by Senator Maijol Mahap on reducing the period for fitting the seat belts from three years to one year, Lajim said the Government had to be flexible so that people would not be burdened by the requirement.

Lajim said for vehicles manufactured before Jan 1, 1995 and Perodua Kancil and Kenari manufactured from mid-1998 to mid-2004, which were exempted from the ruling, owners were encouraged to have rear seat belts fitted as a safety measure.

He said the Road Transport Department had amended the Motor Vehicle Regulations (Seat Belts) 1978 to enforce the seat belt ruling for both front and rear seat passengers. – Bernama

Two killed in Karak crash, 17 including driver, hurt

KUALA LUMPUR: Two passengers were killed and 17 others seriously injured when an express bus heading from Genting Highland towards the city plunged into a 10m-deep ravine along the Karak Highway yesterday.

The identities of the victims, a man said to be a foreigner, and a woman from Seremban, both in their 40s, have yet to be ascertained.

There were 45 passengers on board the bus and most of them were believed to be tourists staying in Genting Highlands. Most of the victims were not carrying travel documents.

In the 6.30pm incident, the driver of the Genting Express bus crashed into a divider at the 25th kilometre of the highway.

It is believed that the 47-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle, and veered left, in heavy rain.

Gombak traffic chief Deputy Supt Mohammad Rafiq Mustafa said those injured were rushed to Selayang Hospital while the two bodies were taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

He said police would question the driver, who was slightly injured, to find out more details of the crash. The incident caused a massive traffic jam for more than four hours.

JPJ seizes 10 Konsortium buses

IPOH: The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has seized 10 Konsortium Bas Ekspres Semenanjung Sdn Bhd buses since its recent ban.

It also confiscated the travel documents of another bus.

JPJ enforcement chief Salim Parlan said the buses had been found plying roads and highways in Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Kedah, Malacca and Johor despite a month-long ban on its operations until June 13.

“The most recent bus we seized was in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday,” he told reporters yesterday after a JPJ community programme with the orang asli in Pos Raya, about 30km from here.

“In Terengganu, we only confiscated the documents as the bus was stationary at the terminal.”

The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) recently banned all buses of the company for ignoring safety measures.

The suspension came into effect on May 14 after an inquiry revealed many of the company’s buses were involved in road accidents.

He said following the end of the suspension period, the CVLB check the company before making its recommendations.

Salim, who is also a CVLB board member, added it was looking into other bus companies before deciding if similar action should be taken against them.

“Because such inquiries are very exhaustive and involves many parties, it might take some time before we know if others will have similar action taken against them,” he added.

He also clarified that although the body of the buses was “Konsortium Bas Ekspres”, it did not mean they were those of Konsortium Bas Ekspres Semenanjung Sdn Bhd because the company and its two sister companies, Super Coach Liner and Stoneway Corporation, operated under the banner name of Konsortium Bas Bhd.

The public, Salim said, could tell to whom the bus belonged to by looking at the name and address printed at the bottom corner of the vehicle.

One-month ban for ‘bad record’ bus operator

ALOR STAR: All 232 express buses owned by Syarikat Konsortium Bas Ekspres Semenanjung Bhd have been grounded a month for having a “bad track record”.

Road Transport Department (JPJ) enforcement director Salim Parlan said the suspension effective Wednesday would end on June 16.

He said the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) made the decision after its inquiry revealed that many of the company’s buses were involved in road accidents.

“We will station our enforcement officers at all 36 bus terminals in the country to ensure the suspension order is complied with,” he said on Thursday night.

He said JPJ had detained a bus in Puduraya and two buses in the Medan Gopeng bus terminal in Ipoh after the company was found to have defied the suspension order.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Puduraya yesterday when they found that they could not board any of the various Konsortium buses parked at the platforms.

Last August, four passengers were killed after the bus they were in overturned into a ditch on the North-South Expressway.

Thai girl dies in bus crash

KUALA TERENGGANU: An express bus plunged into a ravine along the Kuala Terengganu-Kota Baru road early yesterday, killing a Thai girl.

According to Bernama, Terengganu deputy police chief Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman said the other 22 passengers, 15 of them Thai nationals, were injured and had been sent to hospital.

He said the bus was travelling from Rantau Panjang to Kuantan when it crashed into the 12.5m-deep ravine at the 33rd kilometre of the road at 12.58am.

Jalaluddin identified the dead girl as 11-year-old Anna Mail Amin.

The bus driver, Zainal Abidin Mohd Nor, 41, was injured while co-driver, Wahid Samad, 49, was unhurt, he said.

Anna was one of the three passengers pinned underneath the overturned bus, said State Fire and Rescue assistant director (operations) Supt Mohd Nor Yazid Rosli.

She died on the spot but fire and rescue personnel managed to rescue the other two, a man and a woman in their 20s, he added.

Jalaluddin said initial investigation showed that the bus, belonging to Mekar Ekspres Sdn Bhd, was speeding.

“When the bus came to the sharp bend at km33, it went out of control and plunged into the ravine and overturned,” he said while visiting some of the injured passengers at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) here.

He said seven passengers were rushed to HSNZ. Anna’s body was also taken there.

Fifteen other passengers and driver Zainal Abidin were taken to the Setiu Hospital, he added.

Jalaluddin said the two drivers were assisting police in the investigation.

He said all the Thai passengers had valid travel documents and they were heading for Kuantan to visit relatives or look for jobs.

Passenger, Mohd Najhan Othman, 28, from Permatang Badak, Kuantan, said he just shut his eyes and said a prayer when the bus hit the barrier railing on the left of the road.

“I was thrown from my seat and found myself underneath other passengers. I managed to get up and found a child caught between one of the seats. I tried to help free the child but failed,” said Mohd Najhan.

Meanwhile, in Putrajaya, SIM LEOI LEOI reports that the committee investigating the bus crash in Seremban in which a soldier died and 29 others were injured will recommend to the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board to suspend the company’s permit.

Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said Konsortium Bas Ekspress Semenanjung had been involved in three other accidents since December last year.

The board is expected to meet soon.

In the April 8 accident, Mohd Arshad Razali was killed when the express bus plunged into a ravine along the North-South Expressway.

The bus had 52 outstanding traffic summonses and its driver then was said to have just obtained his commercial driving licence only a few months ago.

Soldier killed, 29 injured in bus plunge

By C.S. NATHAN
Pictures by LOW BOON TAT

SEREMBAN: A soldier was killed and 29 other passengers were injured when an express bus plunged into a ravine along the North-South Expressway near here early yesterday.

The deceased has been identified as Mohd Arshad Razali from Johor. Five of the injured are reported to be in serious condition and have been admitted to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here for treatment.

State traffic chief ASP Abd Halil Hamzah said the incident occurred at 3.45am after the driver of the Kuala Lumpur-bound express bus apparently lost control of the vehicle. The bus hit the guardrail before plunging into a ravine next to the expressway.


A pregnant woman, a Singaporean and three Indonesians were among those injured.

The bus driver Mohd Shahrini Mohamad, 23, is said to have just obtained his commercial driving licence several months ago. The bus has 52 outstanding traffic summonses.

Eighteen Fire and Rescue department personnel from the Seremban and Seremban 2 stations freed the passengers from the mangled wreck, said its Rescue Assistant Operations Director, Superintendent Khairul Azuwan Ibrahim.

The bus left the Larkin Bus Station in Johor Baru at 1am and was scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 5.30am.

The Singaporean, who declined to be named, said the bus flipped several times before landing on its side.

“The bus was going very fast before it crashed,” he said, adding that he sustained minor injuries on his hands and legs.

Fauzi Astamam, 44, who was travelling with his 18-year-old son Mohd Faizudin Fauzi from Johor Baru, said the bus, which was going fast, started to sway suddenly seconds before the accident.

“When the bus plunged into the ravine, I managed to hold on to the seat in front of me. Those who were asleep were flung from their seats,” he said.

Malaysians, Do NOT Get Us In Trouble WIth Your Comments

We set up a blog in hopes that there would be more public awareness about the seriousness of this issue. We hoped that everyone would understand how scary it would be, especially for students who study in other states when they take the buses home.

However, there are PEOPLE misusing the comments to defame the prime minister and spread political agenda like asking us to go under BERSIH's umbrella or asking DAP to help us. It's all very against the current government.

You few Malaysians don't need us young people to TELL YOU what is right or wrong. Do you seriously think you are in your right state of mind to post seditious comments on this blog? I don't care if it's borderline seditious but use your brain before posting. Four of us will end up in jail thanks to you. Did Nat Tan's case not teach you anything?

This blog is NOT to be used to lobby against the current government. Granted we would like the government to take heed of our plight seeing that the elections are near, perhaps we stand a better chance to be heard. However, it is not YOUR position to dictate who we should cling on to go against the current government.

I've deleted those comments to save us four blog moderators.

This is for Nian Ning, Mohd. Zailani and Boon Eng.

This is not to be used as a political agenda.

Do not get us in trouble.

edited: Apparently, this move did not go down well with a lot of people.

Do understand that we never said that we do not support the existences of oppositions. We have seen how irrational the authorities can be and just grab whoever they see first if they see something "not right" in the cyberworld. A world that they do not understand

By "not right", if you didn't see the kind of comments that was posted up, please do not act like we are merely kids who are apathetic. It wasn't merely a kind "Oh, please ask the opposition for help" but it was things that you don't want to be said about your mother or your father. It was targeted at our ministers. They might not be the best at what they are doing, but this is not the place to burn them at the stake and leave us to handle the mess, should there be any.

-

Online petition for Nian Ning

By ONG YEE TING

The Star Online - 4th February 2008

yeeting@thestar.com.my

PENANG: Friends of Lee Nian Ning, a medical student who died in a bus accident on Jan 25, have set up a website to seek signatures for a petition on express bus safety that they will send to the Transport Ministry after Chinese New Year.

There is also an online forum at the website (http:// www.buscrashnomore.blogspot.com) to discuss bus crashes in Malaysia.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia law student Teo Lee Ken said the site had already received 17,000 hits and 3,750 e-signatures since it was set up on Jan 28.

He said the website with the theme: ‘If this happened to her, it can happen to you’ targeted students who use public buses.

“We don’t know how much we can change the situation but we know that something needs to be done and someone has to start something,” he told reporters while collecting signatures after the memorial service for Nian Ning at Mahindrama Buddhist Temple yesterday.

Nian Ning, 21, a medical student and Public Services Department scholar at the University of New South Wales in Australia, was killed in an accident when the double-decker express bus she boarded from Penang to Kuala Lumpur crashed near Slim River at 5.55pm on Jan 25.

Universiti Malaya (UM) engineering student Desmond Tan said the idea to set up the website and forum came from a mutual friend who is now studying in Wales.

“He was saddened by her passing and wanted to do something for her although he couldn’t be physically here.

“He then suggested that we start a website that could reach out to all people around the world and create awareness on the importance of bus safety and to draw public attention to together prevent such tragedies,” he said.

Tan said they are now working to get feedback and suggestions from students in local colleges and universities.

“We are really glad that some strangers who came to know us through the website have volunteered to become our representatives in their respective colleges and universities,” he said.

He said they would hand in the petition to the Transport Ministry and the bus company a week after Chinese New Year.

“However, the campaign will continue until we get at least 26,000 signatures.”

Nian Ning’s father Lee Hock Chuan, 50 said she had been looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year together with the family.

“She had even baked some festive cookies with her mother earlier,” he said.

The Memorial - 3rd February 2008

Please take note:

We, the Team at Bus Crash No More appreciate the enormous support of the public that we have received so far. Everything has been above expectation and we hope our aim and mission will be accomplished very soon. In the mean time, in our comments column, there have been some parties that have been over excited to share unnecessary and extreme ideas that we deem to be inappropriate.

We do NOT welcome any offensive or subversive comments which are inclusive of political propaganda or in any way which might create unnecessary misunderstanding. We STRESS that Bus Crash No More is a NEUTRAL site which has a POSITIVE mission towards safer bus rides and a peaceful Malaysia. We are not going against any party nor supporting any political organization. All we need is make sure the voice of the victims to be heard in the the public in a peaceful manner. Hence, the team at Bus Crash No More shall not be held liable, in any aspect of comments by readers.

Let's get back to the Memorial, shall we?

Last Sunday marked the 9th day since the loss of Lee Nian Ning and 2 other victims in the Slim River Bus Tragedy. The Mahindarama Buddhist Temple management held a Memorial and paid tributes to Nian Ning.

The lecture hall was filled with relatives, friends and also devotees who showed great support. The Team at Bus Crash No More were able to call upon the press to witness the event as well. You can check it out at the links below:

Article from The Star

Article from Sin Chew Daily

Article from Guang Ming

Article from Nanyang

It all began at 10am, with the arrival of guests and the honourable reverands of the temple. As Nian Ning was a student of this Mahindarama Sunday Pali School, many of her Sunday School friends helped to organize the memorial. The Chief Monk led the chant of The 5 Precepts.

Sister Suriya, the emcee for the day invited Mr. Lee Hock Chuan, Nian Ning's father to give a speech after the chant. The anticipating crowd were solemn and in sorrow. Grief filled the air of the hall. Deep in our hearts, we know we need to be strong.

Next up, a bosom buddy of Nian Ning, Amy took to the stage to share memories from their friendship, of which began since they were in standard one. The sharing session was very tear-jerking and emotional. Brother Justin, Nian Ning's Sunday School classmate followed to share his thoughts as well.

A 20 minutes chanting session took place after the heart-touching speech. A chant that we all hope that Nian Ning's soul will rest in peace and keep her family stronger by each day.

A petition drive was carried out by close friends to garner support to sign the petition. A total of almost 400 signatures were collected from the morning itself.

That was the memorial for Nian Ning.

Rest in peace. In loving memory of Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)

Haris Ibrahim's(the man behind the "Save The Judiciary" petition) Email

I emailed Haris Ibrahim asking for advice regarding our concerns if IC numbers are actually needed for the petition. Whatever it is, there was no turning back as it had already crossed 2000 signatures by then.

Fortunately, this was his reply.

-----

Hi Jolene,

Firstly, let me congratulate you and your friends for taking the initiative to start the petition. I have signed it ( No. 1733 ).

I do not think that it is fatal if your petition does not bear the ic numbers of the signatories. I was insistent on ic numbers for my 'Save the Judiciary' petition given that it was being sent to the Agong and I felt that, for that reason, ic numbers would serve as an assurance for the monarch that all the signatures were legitimate.

Good luck and God bless


----

PEOPLE! Haris Ibrahim signed our petition! We are truly humbled that someone whom we have admired for his effort in raising awareness on past issues have stepped up to support us. We will move forward with your continued support. Thank you Haris!

Pictures That Will Be Remembered

I believe, some may have just browsed through this site without really reading and understanding of what had actually happened. With these pictures, let me touch your feelings and reach your mind so that everyone would unite and show some caring heart in supporting this petition.

It is definitely tragic and horrific. But all we can do now is to make sure this does not happen again. Here are the sorrowful sights from the local newspapers.

Photo credits to The Star, NST and Sin Chew Daily.

The skid of the double-decked bus and off it crashed onto the mid-raillings and tumbled sideways.

It was further hit by an MPV at the tail of the bus.

Nian Ning and Zailani were sitting at the back row of the bus.

One of the victims claimed the bus was "well shaken" before hitting the mid-raillings.
Some of them "flew" off the bus upon impact and passed out.
This is what that is left, when the bus was lifted up back again.


A sorrowful sight at Nian Ning's house.

Solemn, dejected and heart-broken.

None of us want this incident to recur in Malaysia.

Together we can make a difference.

Sign up for our petition rightaway.

How You Can Help Offline

To all the concerned netizens of Malaysia,

We aim to bring this petition to a wider level by urging anyone of you to step up and be a rep in your school/university/workplace.

In this way, we are able to collect more signatures as the days go by.

As a rep, your duty would be to keep hold of the petition form and approach your colleagues for signatures.

Bear in mind that those who sign the petition have not already signed the online petition. We don't want to skew the numbers.

We will send you the petition form as soon as you've emailed us at buscrashnomore@gmail.com.

The list of reps will be listed out on the sidebar so that people of that particular institution/company will be able to approach you to join the petition.

The petition can either be scanned and sent back to us or snail-mailed back to our team leader.

Thank you everyone!

Letters To The Editor Of The Star

Tuesday January 29, 2008

Simply afraid to take the bus

I AM deeply saddened by the death of Lee Nian Ning, the beautiful girl who died alongside two others, in a recent bus crash.

Innocent lives are continuously being lost on our roads.

Lee had a bright future ahead of her and so many people who loved her. She was taken away from all of them in a split second. A wrong bus ticket, wrong seat, wrong day and wrong bus driver – that’s all it took to kill her.

I am shaken by the news because I travel between Kuala Lumpur and Sungai Petani every other weekend and I am very fortunate to still be alive.

Like Lee, I am 21 years old, and I too have the whole world in front of me. I take the bus to go home to visit my family and friends. This was exactly the reason Lee boarded the bus.

In my two-and-a-half years of taking long distance buses, I have accepted that buses can break down, can be switched without warning, and even take nearly a day to reach its destination.

It’s not fair for us to constantly live in fear every time we get on a bus, not knowing if we’ll reach our destination alive.

As students, we are not able to afford plane tickets or drive our own cars, which will be safer and more convenient. Even if some of us own cars, we can’t afford the extra expenses that comes with driving up and down regularly.

Even if budget airlines offer cheap tickets, students and the poor are not able to afford them on a regular basis. With hefty airport taxes the so-called cheap plane ticket still burns a hole in our pockets.

This is the reason we choose to take the bus home or to our place of study.

Because of this accident, my friends and I now have a phobia of taking the bus. I don’t want to live in fear. I have a future, too.

JOLENE LAI PEI SHAN,

Sungai Petani, Kedah./Subang Jaya, Selangor.

--

Reckless bus drivers must be stopped

I AM writing to tell everyone about the bus service that I used to travel from Penang to Ipoh recently.

I took the 4.45pm bus, plying the Penang-Butterworth-Ipoh route, and we left on schedule.

Because of the massive jam on the Penang Bridge and heavy traffic heading into Butterworth, we arrived at the toll station near Juru at 5.55pm.

I was prepared to arrive late but the bus driver had other plans. He drove like an incensed, raging maniac.

I could actually feel the bus lift at certain times. To top it all off, it was raining.

He frequently hit the brakes which caused the bus to jolt. He also stopped for a 10-minute toilet break.

We reached the Jelapang toll plaza at 7.20pm.

Taking into consideration the toilet break, it means that the bus driver took approximately one hour and fifteen minutes to drive from Juru to Jelapang!

I thought express buses are only supposed to drive at 90kph. This bus driver went way above the speed limit.

I could not sleep a wink because I kept being jolted awake.

I hope the relevant authorities would look into the matter and do something before people get hurt, especially since we have bus drivers who think they are above the law, and since the festive season is around the corner.

We also need more buses plying the Penang-Ipoh route.

It looks like there are only two companies plying this route, and these companies are playing with people’s lives when their drivers treat the roads like the FI circuit.

DISSATISFIED AND FRIGHTENED,

Ipoh, Perak.

--

31st January 2008

What happened to crackdown on buses?

I DO not know Lee Nian Ning personally despite coming from the same hometown as her. From the looks of it she had so much ahead of her (“Robbed of bright future” – The Star, Jan 28).

Looking at her pictures posted on the Facebook group (on the Internet) in her memory, I am most struck by how the pictures of her smiling in the groups of girls could easily have been pictures of my friends and me.

The bus company should be held liable over what happened. How many more accidents like this must we let happen before something is done?

I myself am a regular on the North-South Expressway. I am from Penang and study at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. With the holidays looming, I can’t wait to go back to be with my family but I now dread having to make the trip back home.

Indeed, you can say accidents happen, tragedy happens. But let's not just let it happen when it definitely could have been avoided. How could a bus driver with 13 summonses to his name still be allowed on the road?

What happened to the crackdown after all those people died in that other bus accident just last year?

Where’s the implementation of all those new policies and rules?

Am I supposed to say a prayer and hope for the best each time I board a bus? It is inevitable that I will make one of these Penang-KL trips again. I do not feel so safe now knowing that I may be putting my life in the hands of a bus driver with a string of offences.

Please do something to make it safer for every one on the road.

RACHEL CHOONG MEI LING,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

A Map To Mahindarama Temple

Memorial For Nian Ning

Venue: Mahindarama Buddhist Temple, Kampar Road, Penang
Time : 1000 hrs


Just in case you are not sure where is the temple, here is a map courtesy of Sun Tzu II.

Come on people, let's all throng to the temple to pay our respect to Nian Ning.

This might mean a lot to the nation as reporters will be there to capture the moments.

Cops: No warrant of arrest for ‘fatal crash’ bus driver

The Star Online - 29 January 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: The driver of the bus that was involved in a crash which killed three passengers, including medical scholar Lee Nian Ning, near Slim River on Friday was never issued with a warrant of arrest for 13 traffic offences.

“The driver never received the summonses. All the police summonses were issued on the bus.

“We will take action against the bus company which is based in Johor Baru,” Federal traffic chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib said.

The driver Ruslim Isa, 43, is being warded at Teluk Intan Hospital for a broken right leg.

On Friday, the double-decker bus slammed into a divider near Slim River at 5.55pm, killing Nian Ning and the others.

Nian Ning, who was on her way from Penang to visit friends here, was studying medicine at the University of New South Wales.

In Ipoh, Slim River deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Adzhar Othman said a statement would be taken from Ruslim as soon as he recovers from his injuries.

Penumpang nampak pemandu bas main SMS

Utusan Malaysia Online - Januari 2008

SLIM RIVER 25 Jan. - Pemandu bas dua tingkat yang terbabas dan terbalik hingga tiga penumpangnya maut di Kilometer 384 Lebuh Raya Utara- Selatan dekat Behrang dikatakan bermain khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) ketika memandu.

Salah seorang mangsa yang ditemui di Hospital Slim River di sini memberitahu, mereka dapat melihat pemandu bas berkenaan asyik bermain SMS sedangkan pada masa itu bas dipandu laju ketika hujan lebat.

Mangsa yang bekerja sebagai doktor dan enggan dikenali berkata, kecuaian pemandu tersebut amat menakutkan penumpang lain kerana tindakan itu amat berbahaya dan boleh mengundang malapetaka.

Seorang lagi mangsa, Netty Herlina, 33, berkata, bas berkenaan dipandu laju hingga menyebabkan bas itu membuai dan bergoyang-goyang.

''Saya duduk di tingkat atas dan apabila bas itu terbabas saya telah tercampak keluar daripada bas. Selepas itu saya tidak sedar apa-apa hingga di bawa ke hospital," katanya.

Nasha Hairi, 40, pula berkata, ketika bas berkenaan sedang bergoyang, dia melihat pemandu bas tersebut berdiri secara tiba-tiba seolah-olah terkejut dan takutkan sesuatu.

''Selepas itu saya dan penumpang lain jadi ketakutan dan menjerit sekuat hati sejurus sebelum bas berpusing dan terbalik," katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Rosnah Ismail, 37, salah seorang penumpang MPV jenis Honda Oddysey yang merempuh bas tersebut pula memberitahu, bas itu kelihatan berputar sebanyak tiga kali dan memasuki laluan bertentangan sebelum terbalik.

''Memang kami tidak sempat membrek dan mengelak bas tersebut kerana bas itu melintang betul-betul di tengah lebuh raya," katanya yang hanya cedera ringan.

Family mourns loss of beautiful, intelligent go-getter

The Star Online - 28 January 2008

By ANDREA FILMER

PENANG: She had the world at her feet but death robbed medical student Lee Nian Ning of a brilliant future.

The straight As student, former state swimmer and accomplished Girl Guide was on the double-decker express bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur which crashed near Slim River on Friday.

Nian Ning, 21, a Public Service Department (PSD) scholar at the University of New South Wales in Australia who was on her way to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur, was among three passengers who perished when the driver lost control of the bus and slammed into a divider.

“We learnt that the driver had 13 summonses against him. Why had the company not screened him and realised that he was not competent to drive that bus?

“I wonder why the authorities still allowed such a monster to roam our streets?” asked Nian Ning's distraught father Lee Hock Chuan, 50, a company human resources director.

He also expressed disappointment over the bus company's reaction to the tragedy.

“They know who the victims are and yet, I have yet to receive a single call from them. There is not a single representative from the company here today to pay respects to my eldest daughter,” he said.

The family is contemplating legal action and Lee appealed to witnesses to come forward.

“It won’t bring her back but we just want justice to be done,” he said.

The attractive Nian Ning, who stood 1.72m tall, was a national backwoods cooking champion and had set her sights on becoming a doctor.

She scored straight As in both the UPSR and PMR and obtained 11A1s and one A2 in the SPM exams.

“From a young age, she was so clear about her goal. Even though she had been approached to be a model, the only thing she wanted to be was an orthopaedic surgeon,” said her mother Ong Keep Gim, 48, a teacher.

Friends and family of the young victim paid their respects at her home in Taman Gelugor yesterday.

She was later cremated at the Batu Gantung crematorium.

More than 20 of her closest friends also created a scrapbook with personal messages to their friend.

“She was determined and a perfectionist,” said J.A. Cheng, 20, who was Nian Ning's schoolmate.

“She knew what she wanted in life and achieved her dreams. We will miss her very much.”

Pesan beli kain kafan

myMetro - Januari 2008

Laporan dan foto RUDY SYAREME SHERIFFUDIN


Abang mangsa korban nahas bas ekspres anggap adik bersikap pelik sebelum kemalangan


GEORGETOWN: “Arwah sempat berpesan supaya membeli kain kafan jika terjadi apa-apa padanya, seolah-olah memberi petunjuk dia akan pergi buat selama-lamanya,” kata abang Mohd Zailani Mustapha, 23, yang terkorban dalam kemalangan bas ekpres di kilometer 383.5 Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan di Behrang, petang kelmarin.

Mohd Rosli, 29, berkata pesanan arwah adiknya yang disampaikan kepada melalui seorang rakan arwah menimbulkan tanda tanya mengapa persoalan demikian diucapkan, seolah-olah tahu ajalnya sudah tiba.

Selain itu, katanya, sejak seminggu lalu sikap Mohd Zailani berubah dengan ketara apabila sering memberontak dan marah tanpa mengira tempat.

Katanya, lebih memeranjatkan apabila arwah yang sebelum ini tidak pernah menghubungi bapa, Mustapha Mohamed yang ada di Johor, berbuat demikian untuk bertanya khabar.

“Arwah anak keenam daripada tujuh beradik. Dia rajin dan manja dengan ayah serta abang sulung, Mohd Zaidi dan abang kelima, Mohd Zairuddin serta pernah tinggal di Sungai Nibong.

“Arwah sebenarnya tinggal di Batu Uban bersama saya sejak tiga tahun lalu dan bekerja sebagai kontraktor paip serta menggunakan alamat rumah Mohd Zairudin sebagai alamat surat-menyurat,” katanya ketika ditemui di rumah Mohd Zairudin di Lebuh Nipah 3, Sungai Nibong, di sini, semalam.

Mohd Rosli berkata, sebelum kemalangan berlaku, arwah memintanya membeli tiket bas ekpres pada jam 2 petang selepas enggan menaiki bas pada jam 1 petang dan 1.30 petang kelmarin.

“Disebabkan itu, saya membeli tiket bas untuk perjalanan jam 2 petang. Saya terkilan kerana tidak sempat memohon maaf daripada arwah. Selepas menghantarnya ke terminal bas Sungai Nibong, saya terus pulang ke rumah untuk menyambung kerja,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Mohd Zairudin, 26, berkata malam kelmarin dia tiada di rumah kerana keluar mengambil anak bersama isteri sebelum rakannya memberitahu adiknya terkorban dalam kemalangan jalan raya di Behrang.

Dalam kemalangan kira-kira jam 6 petang kelmarin, selain Mohd Zailani, seorang lagi yang terbunuh dalam kejadian itu ialah Lee Nian Ning, 21, dari Taman Bukit Gelugor, di sini.

Kemalangan berlaku apabila bas yang membawa 37 penumpang serta dua pemandu dalam perjalanan dari Pulau Pinang ke Kuala Lumpur dikatakan dipandu laju sebelum hilang kawalan dan melanggar pembahagi jalan lalu terbalik.

Akibat pelanggaran itu, bas berkenaan memasuki laluan arah selatan sebelum dirempuh kereta Honda Odyssey dari arah belakang.

Seorang lagi penumpang bas ekspres meninggal

Berita Harian Online - January 2008

IPOH: Seorang lagi mangsa kemalangan bas ekspres di Kilometer 383.5 arah selatan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan dekat Behrang, petang kelmarin, meninggal dunia menjadikan angka korban kepada tiga.

Pang Poon Eng, 20, yang berasal dari Batu Caves, Selangor, meninggal dunia di Unit Rawatan Rapi, Hospital Ipoh, awal pagi semalam.

Mayat mendiang Pang dituntut oleh ahli keluarga petang semalam untuk disemadikan di Selangor.

Sementara itu, Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Tanjung Malim, Deputi Superintendan Adzhar Othman, berkata polis masih menyiasat punca kemalangan.

Mengenai dakwaan saksi mengatakan pemandu bas itu, Ruslin Isa, 42, dikatakan sedang menggunakan khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) dan memandu laju dalam hujan renyai sebelum kemalangan, beliau enggan membuat sebarang ulasan.

Adzhar juga enggan mengesahkan dakwaan Ruslin turut memilik dua waran tangkap kerana belum menjelaskan sembilan saman trafik kerana kesalahan memandu melebihi had laju.

“Polis masih menyiasat punca kemalangan dan kita akan maklumkan kemudian selepas semua aspek siasatan disiapkan," katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam.

Dalam kemalangan jam 6 petang itu, tiga penumpang terbunuh dan tujuh cedera parah selepas bas Ekspres Konsortium yang mereka naiki melanggar pembahagi jalan dan terbalik.

Selain Pang, mangsa yang terbunuh di tempat kejadian ialah Mohd Zailani Mustafa, 23, dari Sungai Nibong, Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang dan Lee Nian Ning, 21, dari Taman Bukit Gelugor, Pulau Pinang.

Bas berkenaan membawa 39 penumpang termasuk pemandu dan pemandu gantian dalam perjalanan dari Pulau Pinang ke Kuala Lumpur.

Bus crash: Driver had 13 outstanding summonses

The Star Online - 26 January 2008

By CLARA CHOOI

IPOH: The driver of a double-decker express bus that saw three of its passengers killed in a crash near Slim River on Friday had 13 outstanding police summonses issued against him.

Records in www.myeg.com.my revealed that Ruslim Isa, 43, who was sent to the Teluk Intan Hospital for a broken right leg after the 5.55pm accident, had seven summonses issued against him for speeding, five for illegal overtaking and one for not using an overhead bridge.

The summonses, amounting to RM2,660, dated as far back as 2000.

The accident occurred at KM382 of the highway between Slim River and Behrang during a downpour.

Slim River deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Adzhar Othman said that blood samples taken from Ruslim would be sent to the Chemistry Department, while the remains of the bus would also be sent to Puspakom for analysis on Monday.

"At this point, we cannot yet ascertain the cause of the accident, whether or not it is due to human or technical error.

"Investigations are still ongoing," he said.

The crash, which had initially killed two passengers - Mohd Zailani Mustafa, 23, of Sungai Nibong, Bayan Lepas, Penang, and Lee Nian Ning, 21, of Taman Gelugor, Penang - claimed its third victim on Saturday.

Pang Poon Eng, 20, from Gombak, Batu Caves in Selangor, died at about 1.30am at the Ipoh Hospital here.

Nine other passengers of the Penang-Kuala Lumpur bound Konsortium bus were warded at the Slim River Hospital and the Ipoh Hospital for critical injuries, whilst the others received outpatient treatment.

The bus, which departed from Penang at 2.20pm on Friday, was carrying 39 people.

Dua maut, 9 parah bas terbalik

Utusan Malaysia Online - 26 Januari 2008

Oleh: AMIZUL TUNIZAR AHMAD TERMIZI

BEHRANG 25 Jan. - Dua terbunuh manakala 27 lagi cedera termasuk sembilan daripadanya parah dalam satu kemalangan ngeri membabitkan sebuah bas dua tingkat dan kenderaan pelbagai guna (MPV) di Kilometer 383 Lebuh Raya Utara-Selatan dekat sini hari ini.

Mangsa yang terbunuh ialah penumpang bas, Mohd. Zailani Mustafa, 23, dan Lee Nian Ning, 21. Kedua-duanya yang berasal dari Pulau Pinang mati di tempat kejadian.

Kejadian itu berlaku kira-kira pukul 5.30 petang sewaktu hujan lebat dengan bas berkenaan dipercayai dipandu laju hingga gagal dikawal dan terbabas.

Difahamkan kebanyakan mangsa yang cedera parah berada di tingkat atas bas tersebut.

Ketua Polis Daerah Slim River, Supritendan Md. Ali Mohd. Nayan berkata, bas berkenaan dikatakan terbabas ke laluan bertentangan dan merempuh sebuah kenderaan MPV yang dinaiki tiga orang.

Selepas rempuhan itu, katanya, bas yang datang dari arah Pulau Pinang ke Kuala Lumpur dengan membawa 21 penumpang termasuk pemandunya terus terseret dan terbalik.

"Semua mangsa terlibat berjaya dikeluarkan dari bas dan MPV dan dibawa ke Hospital Slim River untuk rawatan," katanya ketika ditemui pemberita di tempat kejadian.

Md. Ali berkata, kerja-kerja menyelamat mangsa yang terperangkap hanya selesai kira-kira pukul 9.15 malam.

Seorang penumpang MPV itu, Husnah Ismail, ketika menceritakan detik-detik cemas itu berkata, beliau nampak bas tersebut dipandu laju dari arah hadapan.

Katanya, semasa melalui jalan itu, secara tiba-tiba bas tersebut terbabas dan terbalik lalu berpusing ke laluan mereka.

"Rakan saya yang memandu MPV kemudian cuba brek dan mengelak tetapi gagal lalu merempuh bumbung bas itu," katanya yang menerima beberapa jahitan di kepalanya.

Penumpang bas, Nasha Hairi, 40, pula memberitahu, dia melihat semua penumpang bas dihempap antara satu sama lain.

Katanya, akibat daripada itu, semuanya menjerit ketakutan dan ada antaranya yang tercampak keluar.

Sementara itu, Timbalan Ketua Polis Daerah Slim River, Deputi Supritendan Adzhar Othman memberitahu, pemandu bas tersebut mempunyai tiga waran tangkap dan 19 saman termasuk 12 kesalahan memandu melebihi had laju.

Two die, three injured in bus crash

The Star Online - 26 January 2008

IPOH: Two people died and three were seriously injured after the double-decker express bus they were travelling in lost control before crashing into a divider at southbound of Km382 of the North-South Expressway between Slim River and Behrang.

The two dead were identified as Mohd Zailini Mustafa, 23, and Lee Nian Ning, 21. Both are from Sg Nibong and Taman Bukit Gelugor, Penang, respectively.

The unidentified bus driver in the 5.55pm incident was also seriously injured.

There were 39 people on board including the driver and co-driver. The injured had been sent to the Slim River Hospital for treatment.

Slim River deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Adzhar Othman said initial reports found that the bus, which was travelling from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, had lost control and was lying sideways blocking both sides of the expressway.

“A multi-purpose vehicle, which was travelling behind the bus, could not brake on time causing it to crash onto the bus.

“The driver was however unhurt,” he said when contacted.

DSP Adzhar said the victims were pulled out from the bus by passing motorists.

The incident caused massive traffic jams on both sides of the expressway.

A Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan spokesman said southbound of the expressway had to be closed to traffic.

“We had to open a contra flow on the north-bound to allow traffic flow,” he said.

Bukit Gantang carnage - Kong Choy pointing finger of blame at everybody except himself

Lim Kit Siang - 16 August 2007


Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy is pointing the finger of blame at everybody for the latest Bukit Gantang road carnage which killed 20 and injured nine except himself — when such horror road fatalities are not supposed to happen after the Kuala Lipis bus crash which claimed 14 lives and injured 26 people 45 months ago.

The Kuala Lipis road carnage happened in the first month of the premiership of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on 31st November 2003 and was the cause of a national hue-and-cry starting from the Prime Minister who demanded action by Chan to ensure that such tragedies do not recur.

Since then, there had not only been the road carnage at Km229 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang on Monday, but also the Nibong Tebal bus crash in July last year which left 11 dead and 35 injured among those on their way to the St. Anne’s Feast in Bukit Mertajam.

During the nation-wide hullabaloo led by the Transport Minister over the Kuala Lipis road carnage 45 months ago, I had warned the Prime Minister that his administration must learn from the expensive lessons of the past as to why the country had failed to end the road carnage on Malaysian roads which had wrought such great emotional and socio-economic havoc in terms of loss of human lives and economic costs to the community for the past 13 years.

I had expressed fears that “the latest bout of high-profile government and public concern about the high traffic accident rate and fatalities would not be another short-lived but quickly-forgotten “wonder” as had happened many times since 1990.

After the gruesome Karak Highway accident in 1990 which killed 17 people, a Cabinet Committee on Road Safety was formed with the specific target of reducing road fatalities by 30 per cent by the year 2000 based on 1989 figures.

However, the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety not only failed to meet its target of reducing road fatalities by 30 per cent by 2000 based on 1989 figures, the number of road fatalities sharply increased year after year and at one stage, reached 67 per cent higher than the 1989 fatalities instead of cutting it down by 30 per cent!

In 1989, the number of road fatalities stood at an all-time high of 3,773. If the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety had been on target, road fatalities would have progressively fallen until it was fully reduced to 30 per cent of the figure, or not more than 2,641 deaths, by 2,000. Instead, road fatalities increased by leaps and bounds in the 13 years since the establishment of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety to cut down the death fatalities, registering 6,304 fatalities for 1996.

The total number of traffic fatalities since the establishment of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities in the 13 years from 1990 to 2002 was a most shocking toll of 70,749 human lives, while the number of injured totalled 537,689.

It is clear that among the root causes for the failure of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and the ever-worsening road carnage from 1990 to 2002 resulting in 70,000 avoidable deaths, over half a million injured and over RM70 billion economic losses to the country in the past 13 years were the double lack of political will and Ministerial accountability to end the avoidable road carnage on the roads.

There has been no change of this shocking scenario under the premiership of Abdullah — the abysmal double lack of political will and Ministerial accountability to end the avoidable road carnage on the roads.

This is why last year alone, there were 6,400 fatalities and about 300,000 accidents.

Since the Bukit Gantang carnage on Monday, the Transport Minister had been pointing the finger of blame at everybody except himself and the top government officials concerned.

At first, the public were told that the bus driver had two warrants of arrest against him and 13 outstanding summonses and that the bus company didn’t have a permit to ply the Johor Baru-Alor Star route. Then it was reported that the driver had “flouted almost every traffic rule” with checks revealing that the traffic summons issued to him could be more, with at least 39 other summons issued to three vehicles driven by him.

After the Kuala Lipis tragedy of Nov. 30, 2003, the Nibong Tebal and Bukit Gantang road carnages are not supposed to take place, if preventive measures outlined 45 months ago had been taken seriously by all relevant parties concerned, including by the Transport Minister regularly checking on the implementation of these measures.

There is no shortage of solutions to end the road carnage, only shortage of political will and accountability to enforce them.

A public inquiry must be held into the Bukit Gantang road carnage to inquire why the lessons from the Kuala Lipis bus crash which claimed 14 lives 45 months ago had not been learnt and for a public accounting of the authorities and individuals who must bear responsibility.

At present, Chan is pointing finger of blame at everyone except himself and the top public officials responsible for road safety — when everybody knows that he has lost all credibility, authority and legitimacy for this role for his Ministerial failings in the past 45 months.

He has made a shocking announcement of a new ruling after the Bukit Gantang carnage — the grounding of the entire fleet of buses when there is one fatal accident.

Is this a feasible and realistic solution or just a knee-jerk reaction, or worse, a proposal which is so outrageous that there would be another nation-wide uproar which would completely distract public attention from the responsibility and accountability of the Transport Minister and the top government officials for the continuing road carnage?

If one fatal accident and the entire fleet of buses will be grounded, is Chan prepared to also accept that one major road carnage like the Bukit Gantang tragedy and the Transport Minister submits his resignation?

Past bus tragedies

The Star Online - 14 August 2007

July 31, 2006

Twelve pilgrims on the way to St Anne’s Feast were killed when a chartered bus crashed at the 160th kilometre of the North-South Expressway near Nibong Tebal. Thirty-five others were injured.

Dec 1, 2003

Fourteen passengers were killed in an early morning collision involving two buses – a school bus which was converted for commercial use and an express bus – at the 63rd kilometre of the Kuala Lipis-Merapoh trunk road. Twenty-three others were injured.

April 21, 2001

Twelve women and a boy were killed when a bus skidded and crashed into a ditch off the Pengkalan Hulu-Baling road near Baling.

Jan 15, 2001

Nine people were killed and five seriously injured when an express bus and a

trailer lorry collided head-on at the 24th kilometre of the Sarikei-Sibu road during heavy rain.

Dec 22, 1999

A Mutiara express bus caught fire after plunging into a ravine at Kampung Bayu in Paloh, near Gua Musang killing three passengers and injuring eight.

July 16, 1996

A bus, ferrying a group of factory workers and their families on a holiday excursion, plunged into a 120m-deep ravine near the Genting Highlands Resort, killing 17 of them. Six were children.