Bus Crash No More

Four die in bus-trailer accident near Behrang

2011-11-11T10:40:00.001+08:00

PETALING JAYA: Three students and a teacher from SMK Air Merah, Kulim, died after the chartered bus they were travelling in was involved in an accident with a trailer laden with sand at KM382 on the North-South Expressway near Behrang.

The students were on their way from Kulim to Genting Highlands in the 4.45am incident.

Five remain critically injured at the Slim River Hospital. Another 25 were were also injured.

A PLUS official said efforts to extricate the bodies were still ongoing while details of how the accident happened and what caused the bus to overturn remain unclear.

Express bus plunges into drain, 25 hurt

2011-11-07T16:06:00.001+08:00

KULAIJAYA: Three people, including a Cambodian tourist, sustained major injuries and 22 others suffered minor cuts when the express bus they were travelling in went out of control and plunged into a drain.

The incident occurred around 4.40am at KM19 along the Ayer Hitam-Johor Baru stretch here Monday.

A passenger said the accident occured a few minutes after the bus had passed the toll station in Kulai, when the vehicle swerved violently, hit a divider and plunged into the drain.

Several passengers, who claimed the bus was speeding, were thrown out of the vehicle.

Johor Baru (North) deputy OCPD Supt Mohd Akhir Ishak said police were questioning the 45-year-old bus driver, adding that all passengers were sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital for treatment.

He said only three passengers sustained major injuries and this included the Cambodian tourist, who broke his left leg.

27 killed as tour bus overturns in Cameron Highlands

2010-12-20T23:48:00.000+08:00

IPOH: Twenty-seven passengers of a tour bus were killed after the vehicle hit a divider and overturned on its way down from Cameron Highlands Monday.

Twenty-two died at the scene of the accident and five at the Raja Permaisuri hospital here. Another 10 injured, four of whom are men, were being treated at the hospital. Two of the men were said to be in critical condition.

This is believed to be the worst road accident in the nation's history.

Those killed were two Malaysians and 25 Thai nationals. The bus had 37 passengers onboard, 34 of them Thai tourists.

According to Perak state deputy CPO SAC Datuk Zakaria Yusof, the cause of the accident could have been speeding or brake failure.

"The driver was trying to negotiate a sharp bend but failed, causing the vehicle to hit a divider before overturning.

"The bus landed on its roof in a ditch about 51m away from the divider," SAC Zakaria said, adding that the impact killed 22 of the victims on the spot.

The accident occured at KM15 of the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road at 11.40am. The bus was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Cameron Highlands.

It is learn that the excursion bus company is registered in Jitra.

The impact of the crash was so severe that bodies were flung several metres away from the wreckage while others were trapped deep in the mangled vehicle.

It took about 100 police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Department and Public Works Department personnel over three hours to retrieve the bodies.

The wreckage was finally towed downhill at about 4pm, causing massive jams on both sides of the road as far as 5km away.

It is learnt that of the 10 survivors, one was discharged after being treated for minor injuries, three were undergoing surgery and the rest warded, as at 7pm.

Meanwhile, the police have issued the names of 26 of those killed. They are:

1.Omar Shahidan, 48 (male, Malaysian bus driver)
2. Soontorn a/l Kian, 38 (male, Malaysian tour guide of Siamese descent)
3. Charcart Knagsuwan, 48 (male)
4. Thanvaraj Poolsang, 36 (female)
5. Nutthiya Inyyim, 50 (female)
6. Poonporn Poolsaene, 41 (male)
7. Sumruay Swatphet, 48 (male)
8. Putharee Akkrarachaw Wanont, 42 (female)
9. Ponethanest Akkrarachaw Wanont, 45 (male)
10. Suchanchida Chaiaueai, 40 (female)
11. Sriwai Swatphet, 42 (female)
12. Prinya Prassakulchai, 48 (female)
13. Chutima Throukool, 25 (female)
14. Thitisak Pongtanarat, 51 (male)
15. Junpen Pongtanarat, 50 (female)
16. Phayong Kruanjinli, 59 (male)
17. Ekachai Na Bangxang, 64 (male)
18. Mantana Phromduag, 51 (female)
19. Rungnada Klungsawan (female)
20. Darunee Songserm (female)
21. Isariya Thiangtham, 25 (female)
22. Ampaiwan Thiangtham, 50 (female)
23. Maliwan Mekmahaprom, 53 (female)
24. Achara Wiwat, 36 (female)
25. Natkritta Poolsaeng, six, (female)
26. Weera Chuntanagon (male)

Major bus accidents in Malaysia in recent years:

Dec 17: Four prison officers killed after a Prisons Department bus plunged into a ravine along the hilly and winding Tambunan-Kota Kinabalu trunk road.

Oct 29: Seven passengers, aged between 13 and 28, killed after their bus skidded and overtured at KM38 Genting Sempah, while enroute to Kuala Lumpur. It was later revealed the driver of the bus had no valid driving licence.

Oct 10: Thirteen killed in bus crash along KM223 of the North-South Expressway (NSE), near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza.

Dec 25, 2009: Ten killed after a double-decker express bus skidded and hit a road divider at KM272.8 of the NSE, after the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza (northbound).

Dec 7, 2008: Ten dead after an express bus skided and overturned at KM146.5 of the NSE, near Pagoh, Johor.

Aug 13, 2007: One of the worst road crashes in Malaysian history claims 22 lives. The bus they victims were in crashed at KM229 of the NSE, near the Bukit Gantang rest area.

March 9, 2007: Six killed after an express bus plunged into a ravine at KM254, NSE, near the Sg Perak rest and recreation area.

July 30, 2006: Eleven pilgrims to the annual St Anne's Feast in Penang were killed when their chartered bus overturned at KM160.8 of the NSE, near the Jawi interchange at Nibong Tebal.

Nov 23, 2003: Fourteen killed when an express bus collides with another bus at KM63, Jalan Lipis-Merapoh near the Pahang-Kelantan border.

Revoked: Licences of two bus companies involved in two fatal crashes

2010-11-09T23:24:00.002+08:00

It took the lives of dozens for them to revoke the licences of these two bus companies.

Why can't they do something to stop these accidents/offences once and for all!

---------------------------

The Star Online

KUALA LUMPUR: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has revoked the express and chartered bus licences of two companies whose buses were involved in two fatal accidents last month.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said all 11 express bus licences of Syarikat Kuala Lumpur-Malacca Express Sdn Bhd, and all 99 chartered bus licences of Syarikat Taipan Suria (MM2H) Sdn Bhd have been revoked with immediate effect.

Syarikat Taipan Suria’s approval offer letter for chartered bus had also been revoked, he said.

“I strongly warn all commercial vehicle operators against being lackadaisical and irresponsible on the safety of public transport users and road users.

“I won’t hesitate to take strict action such as suspending and revoking licences of errant operators,” he told reporters at Parliament lobby.

Nazri said the action against Syarikat Kuala Lumpur-Malacca Express was taken following the accident in Negri Sembilan on Oct 10 which left 13 people dead.

He said the company had contravened the Motor Vehicle Rules (Commercial Transportation) 1959 and the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act 1987.

Some of the offences included failure to notify the CVLB on changes to the company’s operational address, failure to get CVLB approval on changes to the company’s equity and contravening licence conditions, including the management of company, and those of the vehicle, driver and journeys.

On Syarikat Taipan Suria, Nazri said the action taken on the company was in connection with the accident on Oct 29 on the Karak Highway, where seven people lost their lives.

Nazri said the company also admitted that the bus involved in the crash was operated by a third party.

CVLB director Datin Naimah Ramli said the companies have 30 days to submit their appeals.

Deputy Federal traffic chief ACP Mohd Puad Abd Latiff said the Syarikat Taipan Suria driver was under detention. “He fractured his leg, and we will wait for him to recover from the trauma before taking further action,” he said.

The Syarikat Kuala Lumpur-Malacca Express driver died in the crash.

Karak bus crash: Blacklisted driver had no licence for past 13 years

2010-10-31T00:15:00.000+08:00

The Star Online

In Baling, families of the seven victims who were killed claimed that the ill-fated bus was not the one promised by the bus company and was not in good condition.

KUALA LUMPUR: The bus driver involved in Friday’s bus crash that killed seven passengers has held no driving licence for the past 13 years, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

In fact, he had held only a learner licence in 1997. After that, he was blacklisted, Kong told Sin Chew Daily on Saturday.

“What makes me angry is that the bus operator had employed a driver without a licence.

“This driver must be charged in court and his employer must take full responsibility,” he said, adding that the ministry had constantly advised public transport companies to ensure all drivers had valid licences, were in good health and a clean driving record.

Kong also ordered the Road Transport Department to investigate the track records of the driver and the bus operator and work with other related authorities to take them to court.

On Friday night the bus skidded and overturned at KM38 Genting Sempah killing seven and injuring 39 others

Selangor Public Order and Traffic Chief Supt Che Husin Omar said Saturday the Road Transport Department (JPJ) had confirmed that the driver did not have a valid driving licence, Bernama reported earlier.

"The driver had initially admitted to police that he had a driving licence but when JPJ conducted a search, it was found that he did not have one," he told Bernama when contacted here Saturday.

Che Husin said the driver, who suffered a broken right leg and was currently receiving treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, was detained for further investigations.

"He will be investigated under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987, for reckless driving and causing death," he said.

Che Husin said police would be inspecting the black box and also investigating whether the driver had any past record for traffic offences or driving without a licence.

The ill-fated bus, with 44 youths aged between 14 and 25 from several villages in Baling, Kedah, was on an educational trip and had left Kedah at 11pm Thursday and arrived in Genting Highlands at 8am Friday.

At 7pm Friday, the group left Genting Highlands for Kampung Melayu Subang to participate in a homestay programme but was involved in the accident.

During the accident, seven people were killed, 17 seriously injured while 22 others escaped with minor injuries, including the two bus drivers.

Meanwhile, in Baling, families of the seven victims who were killed claimed that the ill-fated bus was not the one promised by the bus company.

Family members, when met in Kampung Baru, Mukim Siong were disappointed with the bus company for failing to keep their promise of providing a bus that was in good condition.

Mustaffa Ibrahim, 60, said the family accepted the destiny of his child, Mohd Fahmi, 17, because it was fated but expressed disappointment after realising that the bus company had provided a bus that was not in good condition.

"They were promised a bus that was good but we only realised that it was not the bus that the company provided for the tour," he said when met in his house here Saturday.

Those who were killed were Mohd Zaidi Mohd Sufian, 28, a religious teacher, Mohammad Amirul Mohamat Isa, 13, Mohamad Khairy Mohamad Marzali, 14, Mohamad Yussof Akhil, 16, Mohamed Firdaus Rosedi, 16, Mohd Fahmi Mustaffa, 17, and Mohd Ridzuan Husin, 17.

Mustaffa, an Imam in a local mosque, said all seven who died were related to each other and urged the authorities to enforce strict measures to ensure such incidents do not recur.

Husin Hamid, 54, the father of Mohd Ridzuan who was also killed, said those responsible for the accident must be dealt with by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Baling Umno division secretary Abdullah Sani Mahmud said the Youth and Sports department would handle matters related to bringing the bodies of the death to Baling.

Seven killed in bus crash

2010-10-31T00:12:00.002+08:00

The Star Online

KUALA LUMPUR: Seven people were killed and 39 others injured in a bus accident at Genting Sempah.

The accident, which happened at 7.50pm last night, involved a group from the 4B Youth Movement, Kampung Siong, Kedah, said Selangor traffic chief Supt Che Hussein Omar.

“Seventeen were seriously injured while the remaining 22 suffered minor injuries,” he said.

“Two people were thrown out from the bus.”

He added police were investigating the driver for reckless driving.

The group of 44 had chartered an express bus from Baling for the trip.

It is learnt that the bus driver lost control of the vehicle before it hit the road divider and overturned several times at KM38 of Jalan Genting Sempah, some 300m from the Karak Highway.

At press time, the dead were identified as Muhammad Amirul Mohamad, 13, Muhamad Khairy Muhammad, 16, Mohd Firdaus Rosedi, 16, Mohamad Yussuf Akhif, 16, Mohd Ridzuan Husin, 17 and Mohd Fahmi Mustafa, 17.

The co-ordinator of the trip, Ustaz Mohd Zaidi Mohd Sufian, 28, died on the way to Selayang Hospital.

The driver and co-driver escaped with injuries.

The group was on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Genting Highlands where they had spent the night.

The dead were sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

The injured were brought to the Bentong, Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and Selayang hospitals.

The co-driver said he was asleep when the crash happened.

“When I got up, the bus was rolling,” he added.

Expressing our horror is not good enough

2010-10-13T21:43:00.000+08:00

WE have said it before. And we will say it again. For Malaysians to continue with their lackadaisical attitude towards matters of life and death on our roads is to continue to let more people die in vain.

On the evening of Oct 10, a tragic accident occurred on the North-South Expressway at Simpang Ampat near the Negri Sembilan-Malacca border involving an express bus heading north and five other vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

These are the 12 lives lost, eight of whom are under the age of 25, of which five will never celebrate their 21st birthday.

Remember these names: Muhammad Farizuddin Talib, 19; Azizi Ajis, 20; Norazmi Abdul Karim, 24; Sharene Sofia Fadzry Tan, 18; Nur Shapika Baba, 19; Ng Sok Kuan, 52; Pang Shi Moei, 57; Goo Chuan Heng, 34; and the three from Myanmar, Kam Khaw Tuai, 19, Pau Khan Tual, 21, and Cin Thawn Tuang, 21 and R. Ramachandra, 52. Let us not treat them as mere statistics but as real people with families and friends. And let not the tears of their loved ones be for nothing.

The blame game is being played, and there is a familiar refrain to all the comments made so far. So what are we to do? Let us bear in mind that a skeptical public will not be easily convinced because there is a strong negative perception of how serious we are in addressing this issue.

When initial eye-witness accounts claimed the express bus driver was speeding, the immediate response was: “Did the driver have a record? Was he on drugs? Had he been at the wheel for more than eight hours that day?”

That these questions are even being asked reveals that we are all too familiar with the scenario whereby after an accident, we learn to our horror that the driver had a string of summonses to his name and was not fit to even drive his own car, let alone be entrusted with ferrying so many people from one destination to another.

But in this case, the driver apparently had a clean record. And so the cynic in us asks: “Well, it’s just that he had never been caught before!”

To be fair, let us not be drawn into a debate that is premised more on the emotion of the day rather than what the hard facts will reveal after a proper investigation.

But still, we must pose some serious questions for all parties to address and to take remedial action.

To the bus operators: Are your vehicles in tip-top condition? Are all your drivers in good health and mentally prepared to take the long journeys? Are you paying fair wages and offering good working conditions? Do you limit the number of trips your driver can make per day and the number of days he can drive consecutively?

To the enforcement authorities, in particular, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and Puspakom: Are you checking that all safety requirements are adhered to? Are you ensuring that all the drivers are certified fit to drive and have undergone the necessary tests? Have all the operators undergone the Safety, Health and Environmental Management (SHE) course?

To the licensing authority, the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board: Are you checking on the records of the operators before renewing their operating permits? Do you ensure that the drivers do not have criminal records or traffic summonses?

To the highway operators: Are there safety issues with regard to the highways you manage? Must killer stretches remain or are there ways to make them safe? What are the conditions of the guardrails that divide the two directions of traffic? What is the quality of your maintenance and upgrading work?

To the lawmakers: Make it mandatory for speed-limiting devices and passenger seat belts to be installed on all express buses. Limit the number of hours a driver can be at the wheel, and for journeys exceeding, say four hours, make it mandatory for a second driver to be on board. Set a minimum wage for the drivers and ensure reasonable working conditions.

Increase the penalties, not only on the drivers, but also on the operators. The onus must be on the operators to maintain a reliable fleet of buses and drivers.

All accidents and infringements must be faithfully tabulated and the operator be stopped from operating when the number of points reaches a certain level. Businesses understand the bottom line so we must have the political will to hit them where it hurts the most.

Read the names again and tell yourself that if the necessary steps are not taken, your loved ones may one day be on such a list.

12 killed in horror crash near NS-Malacca border

2010-10-11T22:22:00.002+08:00

Why am I not surprised?

History repeats itself again and again due to inaction on the part of the Transport Ministry/Government. What happened to the Land Transport Commission and the string ideas, regulations and proposals to regulate express buses since the last horror crash?

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SEREMBAN: Twelve people were killed when a north-bound express bus crashed through the guardrail and ploughed into five vehicles heading in the opposition direction at KM223.2 of the North South Expressway near Simpang Ampat here.

Forty-five others were also injured in the 7.45pm accident, which occured near the Negri Sembilan-Malacca border here yesterday.

Witnesses said the express bus crashed into the rear of a car before the driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed through the guardrail and onto the path of an oncoming bus, two cars and a motorcycle.

The impact caused the express bus to flip onto its side. The bus driver and motorcyclist were among the casualties. The oncoming bus belonged to the Welfare Department.

Apparently, out of the 45 injured, four have been rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment, 22 were sent to a hospital in Seremban and 12 to another hospital in Malacca.

The express bus had left Malacca about 45 minutes before the accident and was on its way to Kuala Lumpur.

The accident caused a traffic jam stretching for more than 25km along the expressway.

Of the 12 who died, eight were believed to be passengers from the express bus.

One of them was decapitated.

Two others were from a MyVi, which was crushed by the bus, and another from a Honda Accord.

PLUS officials had to divert motorists at the Pedas/Linggi toll plaza as the south bound lanes were impassable to traffic.

A Plus traffic control centre spokesman said the accident occurred at about 6km from the Simpang Ampat toll near Alor Gajah, Malacca.

“The middle and left lanes for the south-bound traffic were blocked by the vehicles involved in the accident while the right lane for the north-bound traffic was closed to facilitate emergency works at the scene,” he added.

Sources said that the department’s bus was carrying delegates for a gathering of former servicemen, which was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil earlier in the day.

“None of them in this bus was injured,” said Malaysia Ex-Servicemen’s Association Datuk Muhammad Abdul Ghani.

Quick Clicks

2010-10-10T22:44:00.000+08:00

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

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

2010-10-10T08:41:00.000+08:00

Petition To Have Safer Bus Rides For Long Distance Routes

2010-10-10T02:37:00.000+08:00

*This post is a sticky. Scroll down for more latest postings.

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.

Seven injured after express bus rammed into guardrail

2010-04-17T15:18:00.001+08:00

KULAIJAYA: An express bus driver lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the guardrail along the North-South highway, leaving seven passengers with minor injuries and another with suspected broken ribs.

The Kuala Lumpur-bound StarMart Express bus, which left the Larkin Terminal at about 2.30am, got into the accident along KM32 of the highway northbound, just before the Kulai rest area, at about 3.30am with 14 passengers on board.

It is believed that the bus driver, in his 30s had dozed off before losing control of the vehicle.

Kulaijaya OCPD Supt Zulkefly Yahya said seven passengers, including a woman, aged between 20 and 40 years, received outpatient treatment at Kulai Hospital while a man, in his 40s, was warded as he might have broken his ribs.

"The other remaining passengers were unhurt during the incident.

"The bus's left side was badly damaged," he said when contacted here on Saturday.

Supt Zulkefly said that police had taken the statement from the bus driver

"The bus was supposed to leave the terminal at 12.30am but left two hours later due to some delay.

"We are also investigating whether the bus's engine was damaged," he said.

He added that the bus had been brought to Air Bemban police station for further inspection.

He urged anyone with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.

Bills to improve public transport and safety tabled

2010-04-17T15:17:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR (April 12, 2010): THE Land Public Transport Commission (LPTC) Bill 2010 and Land Public Transport Bill 2010 were both tabled for first reading by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz today.

Under the LPTC Bill, the minister may appoint a chairman, chief executive officer, not more than five government representatives and not more than five members who in the opinion of the minister have knowledge and experience and shown capacity and professionalism in land public transport to sit in the commission.

The Bill stipulates that the commission will advise the minister on all matters relating to land public transport in connection with the exercise of its functions under the land public transport laws.

Under the Land Public Transport Bill, the commission may make rules to provide for the safe carriage of passengers, their luggage and goods by land public transport.

Clause 13 of the Bill empowers the minister to prescribe an area congestion pricing charge to be paid by users of roads situated within any designated area.

The appropriate authorities specified under the Road Transport Act 1987 shall be authorised to demand and collect the proceeds of area congestion pricing charge.

After retaining an amounts as prescribed by the minister and being reimbursed its incidental expenses by the authority, the remaining portion of proceeds will be paid to the Land Public Transport Fund.

A person who fails to pay the charge, commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both.

Clause 27 of the Bill empowers the commission to revoke or suspend a land public transport operator's licence if the conditions of the licence has not been complied by the operator; if the issuance of licence was induced by a false representation; in the event of death, incapacity, bankruptcy of the operator, liquidation of the company; if the public service vehicle used is intended to be used for an unlawful purpose.

Clause 154 and 162 allows the commission to hold any inquiries and investigations respectively in response to a written request from a person or on its own initiative.

The commission is also required to publish a reports of its findings in respect of any public inquiry it conducts within 60 days from the conclusion of the inquiry.

As for the investigation, the commission shall prepare a report to the minister and it is up to the minister to decided whether the report should be published for national and public interest.

An appeal tribunal shall be established under clause 177 of the bill to review any decision or direction of the commission under the law.

The minister shall appoint a chairman and at least two members to sit in the tribunal.

Clause 247 of the Bill stipulates that a Land Public Transport Fund to be set up by the commission and the fund shall be expended for the improvement of the land public transport, its services in rural developments or other purposes related to the land public transport as determined by the minister.

Public Land Transport Commission will resolve fragmented jurisdiction woes

2010-04-17T15:14:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat says the Public Land Transport Commission (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat)will help resolve the problem of fragmented jurisdiction governing matters of land transport.

On his blog, he said on Thursday, April 15 the commission will see a single point of accountability for policy planning and regulatory oversight.

"This is a step towards resolving the problem of fragmented jurisdiction governing matters of land transport that I have frequently highlighted since I assumed the role as Transport Minister," he said.

Before the commission was set up, he noted there were 13 government agencies and departments having authority on issues relating to land transport.

For instance on the issue of commercial buses, the issuance and revocation of licence to operate as well as powers to determine fares are under the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB), which is under the Prime Minister’s Department.

However, licences to operate tour buses is under the Tourism Ministry. The Road Transport Department (RTD) oversees various aspects of safety and enforcement. Ong said then there are the Department of Environment and local authorities as well.

"It was through the National Key Result Area on Urban Public Transport (NKRA UPT) of which I am the lead minister that we were able to bring the fragmented agencies to work together to improve urban public transport. It was also through NKRA UPT that the idea of SPAD was established," he said.

Ong said the commission does not affect the jurisdiction of the RTD, Road Safety Department and other agencies under the Transport Ministry of Transport.

He said, as the lead minister for NKRA UPT, he would continue to maintain oversight on matters pertaining to urban public transport and ensure close collaboration between his ministry and the commission.

Bus operators’ attitude on safety to be blamed for accidents

2010-01-02T19:19:00.000+08:00

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

2009-12-31T15:20:00.000+08:00

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

2009-12-29T11:37:00.002+08:00

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

2009-12-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

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

2009-12-27T23:58:00.001+08:00

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

2009-12-27T23:54:00.002+08:00

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

2009-12-26T10:59:00.000+08:00

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

2009-07-06T14:53:00.000+08:00

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

2009-06-23T10:17:00.001+08:00

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

2009-05-26T23:29:00.000+08:00

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

2009-05-19T23:21:00.000+08:00

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

2009-05-05T13:40:00.001+08:00

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

2009-04-21T02:21:00.001+08:00

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

2009-04-16T22:50:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-16T11:09:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-13T14:38:00.002+08:00

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

2009-04-02T14:03:00.001+08:00

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.

Bus service only by firms that clear all fines

2009-01-10T20:49:00.000+08:00

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

2008-12-20T21:44:00.000+08:00

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’

2008-12-10T15:33:00.001+08:00

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

2008-12-07T12:49:00.000+08:00

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

2008-12-04T10:39:00.001+08:00

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

2008-06-25T16:24:00.001+08:00

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

2008-06-04T09:38:00.000+08:00

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

2008-06-04T09:36:00.002+08:00

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

2008-05-25T20:21:00.001+08:00

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

2008-05-18T01:29:00.000+08:00

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

2008-04-17T08:44:00.001+08:00

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

2008-04-09T17:22:00.006+08:00

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

2008-02-04T22:31:00.000+08:00

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

2008-02-04T22:20:00.000+08:00

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

2008-02-04T22:13:00.001+08:00

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

2008-02-01T22:29:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-31T22:16:00.001+08:00

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.

How You Can Help Offline

2008-01-31T22:06:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T13:25:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T12:43:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:40:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:36:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:32:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:29:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:27:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:23:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:22:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:15:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:12:00.000+08:00

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

2008-01-30T08:01:00.000+08:00

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.

Foundation cites JPJ officers for alleged negligence

2008-01-30T07:59:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 22 August 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Favouritism and buses that are not checked for roadworthiness are some reasons for the Social Action Initiative Foundation to act against the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

Its chairman Tan Sri Robert Phang said he would file a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency for alleged malpractices by nine JPJ officers, including deputy director-general Solah Mat Hassan, who was the former enforcement chief.

“I am not saying that they are corrupt. I don’t have any evidence for that.

“But I do have evidence of malpractice. They have not carried out the minimal standard operating procedures which resulted in buses not meeting the requirement for roadworthiness,” Phang said yesterday.

At a press conference on Monday, Phang claimed that JPJ and Puspakom had not been competent enough in carrying out their duties.

Citing the recent Bukit Gantang express bus accident, which claimed 22 lives, Phang said the answer lay with government agencies that regulate public vehicles.

“JPJ has the responsibility to ensure that buses are designed to international safety standards and driven by drivers who are properly trained, while Puspakom’s role is to inspect and certify that the vehicles are fit for the road,” he said.

Phang said police records showed that an average of 17.2 persons die in road accidents every day.

“The question is, who is responsible?” he said.

CVLB cards for express bus drivers

2008-01-30T07:57:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 19 August 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) will introduce special cards for express bus drivers.

Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the cards containing their particulars would be displayed in buses to enable passengers to file complaints against errant drivers.

The CVLB reserves the right not to issue passenger service vehicle (PSV) licences to bus drivers against whom many complaints have been lodged, he said yesterday.

Khaled said the move would enable CVLB to trace the background and previous job experience of bus drivers as well as information on bus companies they used to work for.

“When the licence is revoked, then the bus driver concerned would not be allowed to move to another express bus company,” he said.

CVLB director Naimah Ramly said the agency had called Syarikat Kenderaan Bukit Gantang Sdn Bhd for a meeting on Tuesday.

The company operated the express bus that crashed on Aug 13, killing 21 people.

The company, which has 34 buses, has been issued with a notice to suspend operations. – Bernama

JPJ to conduct checks at bus terminals

2008-01-30T07:54:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 25 August 2007

By CHAN LI LEEN

TAIPING: Officers from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be stationed at all express bus terminals permanently to check vehicles and drivers before departures.

JPJ enforcement director Salim Parlan said the buses would not be allowed to leave the terminals if they fail to meet safety standards.

"If the drivers and co-drivers are not qualified or fit to make the journey, they too will be grounded,” he said at the Bukit Gantang rest area on the North-South Expressway near here Saturday.

He said the department’s enforcement officers had been stationed at all bus terminals with express bus services since the launching of Ops Bersih on Wednesday.

“Right now, we are operating from makeshift booths at the terminals but soon these will become permanent offices where passengers can also lodge complaints,” he said.

At least four officers would be stationed at the terminals with more during holidays and festive seasons, he said, adding that a meeting would be held on Tuesday with state enforcement chiefs and branch heads to get feedback on their needs and the number of officers required.

On the scope of inspections, Salim said his officers would go through the drivers’ logbooks to make sure that none of them had driven continuously for more than three hours.

“It is also to make sure that the drivers are assisted by co-drivers, have valid driving licences, do not have any outstanding summonses and are free from the influence of drugs,” he added.

As for buses, he said they would be scrutinised for technical failures that could lead to road accidents.

“The department has already asked for more manpower from the Public Services Department,” he said, adding that some 2,600 officers were involved in Ops Bersih.

Since the launch of the joint operation, he said the department has inspected a total of 4,781 vehicles nationwide and taken action against 363 vehicle owners with 790 summonses issued.

He said 26 drivers and passengers of vehicles were found to be under the influence of drugs.

Salim advised the public to report unscrupulous express bus operators who hike up their fares to the department at its 24-hour hotline 03-88866412 or call him directly at 019-2261214.

CVLB backs jail move

2008-01-30T07:52:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 23 August 2007

By SIRA HABIBU

ALOR STAR: Laws should be amended to jail chief executive officers and directors of bus companies that ignore safety rules, Commercial Vehicle Licencing Board (CVLB) chairman Datuk Markiman Kobiran said.

He said yesterday it was high time the bosses in transportation companies were taken to task.

“Revoking the permit alone under the existing law is not good enough. Bus company CEOs and directors who fail to impose safety measures should be liable to jail sentence.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy had said recently that the Cabinet had given the nod to hold CEOs of bus companies accountable for safety standards, hiring and training of drivers and fleet management.

It was reported yesterday that during a recent inquiry into the bus crash that killed 22 people near Taiping last week, a director of the bus company could not produce the drivers’ safety manual that showed drivers’ competence and courses taken.

Markiman said he would propose amendments to the existing CVLB Act to enable prosecution of bus company CEOs and directors.

He also said that there was a need to create a better interactive system among the various agencies for better enforcement.

He said it would be good to have a centralised information system where data is made accessible to all the relevant agencies such as CLVB, the police, Road Transport Department (JPJ) and Puspakom.

Puspakom CEO Datuk Salamat Wahit said all the new policies adopted by the Cabinet relating to bus structure that met the R66 ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) standard, would be implemented immediately.

Five agencies in blitz on errant buses

2008-01-30T07:48:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 23 August 2003

KUALA LUMPUR: Five major agencies have swung into action to bring to book errant bus companies and their drivers throughout Peninsular Malaysia.

Ops Bersih, involving the Road Transport Department (JPJ), police, Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB), Puspakom and Immigration Department, saw officials checking on buses and drivers at major stations and along highways yesterday.

The joint campaign will continue until the end of the Hari Raya holidays in October, on the instructions of Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, said JPJ director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid.

Ops Bersih will include:

- Round-the-clock enforcement counters at all major bus stations, manned by the JPJ and traffic police, to check on buses and drivers before they begin their journeys and at the next stop;

- Prohibiting buses from travelling until summonses are paid;

- Further static checks and roadblocks at 15 areas along the highways;

- Urine tests on drivers and co-drivers;

Police, JPJ, CVLB and Puspakom records to be updated with latest data on summonses and warrants of arrest;

Buses must conform to international rigidity standard;

On-the-spot one-month suspension on buses and commercial vehicles which fail Puspakom checks thrice in a row; and,

Prohibiting renewal of licences and permits until all summonses are settled in court.

Quick joint action

Police

Officers from the traffic and narcotics departments will conduct operations with JPJ officers on highways and at bus stations. They will check for unpaid and outstanding summonses and arrest warrants. Urine tests will also be conducted on the drivers.

Immigration Department

Immigration officers will also be involved to check on foreigners posing as Malaysian drivers and illegal immigrants riding on the buses.

Puspakom

Bus manufacturers were informed on Tuesday that they must build buses which adhere to the “R66 Commission of European Countries” construction standards, of which Malaysia is a signatory. Commercial vehicles which fail to undergo checks three times in a row will be blacklisted by the JPJ and CVLB through an online system.

JPJ

Its officers will man roadblocks on the highways to check on bus drivers' licences and vehicle permits. Round-theclock counters will also be set up at bus stations to check the drivers from the moment they begin their journeys until they stop at their destinations.

Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board

This agency will check on the validity of the drivers' Public Service Vehicle licences.

Errant bus operators and drivers targeted

2008-01-30T07:45:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 23 August 2007

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN

JPJ implements Ops Bersih

PUTRAJAYA: Ops Bersih has been launched to “clean up” errant bus companies and drivers.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy ordered the Road Transport Department (JPJ) yesterday to take immediate steps to ensure that no more lives were lost or people injured in accidents involving buses.

Ops Bersih, which was supposed to start on Monday, was brought forward following the latest bus express accident in Kelantan on Tuesday.

Roadblocks will be set up at 15 locations nationwide until midnight on Aug 30.

The locations are at JPJ enforcement offices in Bukit Bunga (Kelantan); Air Sejuk and Kijal (Terengganu); Paya Rambutan East Coast Highway; Benta and Maran (Pahang); Tenang and Jamaluang (Johor); and other major bus routes like Sanggang (Pahang), the Bukit Gantang and Tapah expressway rest area (Perak); Juru toll plaza (Penang); Sungai Besi toll plaza (Kuala Lumpur); Senawang (Negeri Sembilan); and Yong Peng (Johor).

JPJ director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said the message to bus drivers and operators was that the JPJ was serious about the safety of road-users.

He added his officers would continue with the operations to ensure that bus and commercial vehicle drivers adhered to the speed limit, carried valid operating permits and licences, and vehicles were in good condition according to the Motor Vehicle Rules.

On the counters at bus stations, he said officers would check the licences of the first and second drivers of the buses and the roadworthiness of buses, while the police would conduct urine tests.

“There are cases where the bus will have a second-driver at the point of departure, but one of them will alight somewhere into the journey,” he said.

Ahmad Mustapha said bus drivers should not drive more than eight hours within a 24-hour period, cannot drive for four continuous hours or more than 300km within the four-hour period.

He said bus drivers with outstanding arrest warrants for traffic offences would be arrested on the spot, while those whose licences were suspended would have their documents seized.

Agencies like the traffic police will also coordinate their operations on drivers, especially on suspended driving licences and outstanding arrest warrants, he added.

He said bus-manufacturing companies had been issued with a directive on Tuesday to build rigid one-piece bus bodies which adhered to the “R66 Economic Commission of European Countries” standards.

Motorists can check on their Kejara status with the JPJ or check online via www.jpj.gov.my or send an SMS addressed to JPJ new IC number (without hyphen) and send to 32252.

Chan: Refresher courses a must

2008-01-30T07:41:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 14 August 2007

TAIPING: Commercial vehicle drivers must attend mandatory refresher courses annually, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said.

“I want this to be implemented immediately,” he told reporters after visiting survivors of the Super Express bus crash at the hospital here.

Chan said he had informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi about the crash earlier in the morning.

“The Prime Minister wants steps to be taken to improve our road safety.”

He said the mandatory refresher course had been discussed previously by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) and other authorities.

“This is of public interest. No more lives should be lost. I want this to be resolved as soon as possible,” he said.

Chan also said that there was a possibility that the crash, which he described as “one of the worst accidents in our nation’s history,” was due to negligence.

The refresher course is to hone the driving skills of commercial vehicle drivers.

When first proposed in 2004, the course was aimed at being a stringent and comprehensive training programme for commercial drivers.

The drivers were to undergo the training every two years. Those who did not attend the course would have their licences revoked.

The Transport Minister also said that Miros would investigate the incident with the assistance of the police, Road Transport Department and other relevant agencies.

He said public transport operators need to abide by road safety rules, which among others, stipulate that a co-driver must replace a driver after four hours of driving.

Chan said the bus was registered in 1987 and was inspected by Puspakom in May. The next inspection was scheduled for November.

On whether there were any plans to ban express buses from operating after midnight, Chan said the matter would also be studied based on the experiences of other countries.

Miros director-general Prof Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said that the investigation would focus on ensuring that results could be put to use so that such accidents did not reoccur.

“We will find out how the company's drivers were selected and trained, and how the buses were maintained.”

Bukit Gantang crash aftermath: Unhappy cabinet orders immediate action, study

2008-01-30T07:33:00.000+08:00

The Malaysian Bar

©New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Hamidah Atan and Ranjeetha Pakiam

PUTRAJAYA: The accident on the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang on Monday, which claimed 20 lives and injured nine, was the hot topic of yesterday’s cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed his concern and said that the government was unhappy such an accident occurred.

The Transport Ministry has been entrusted with the task of holding discussions with agencies involved in the public transport sector so that remedial actions could be taken immediately.

The cabinet also directed the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) to conduct a thorough study.

The directive issued to the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry was to improve the public transport system, said its minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin.

The study will look into introducing a basic salary for bus drivers.

Khaled refused to go into the details, saying that he would present a working paper to the cabinet once it was ready. He admitted that the public transport sector was facing a host of problems.

"There are bus companies that cannot afford to pay drivers higher salaries. Some find it difficult to get drivers. CVLB has to look into all these and come up with the proposals."

Khaled also said the board would facilitate investigations into the accident being carried out by the Transport Ministry and relevant agencies.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said safety rails along highways and roads would be upgraded to withstand the impact of a crash. He ordered the Public Works Department to start installing double guardrails along dangerous stretches on highways and roads.

"The existing guardrails can be easily destroyed when heavy vehicles crash into them.

"The double guardrails will be able to withstand the impact of a crash," he said after launching his ministry’s Merdeka Day celebrations yesterday.

Samy Vellu said he had also ordered the Malaysian Highway Authority to ensure that the rails were made of steel.

He said the cost of the exercise would be borne by the highway concessionaires for the highways, state governments for state roads and the PWD for federal roads.

Bus tragedy was no accident

2008-01-30T07:28:00.000+08:00

Malaysiakini - 16 August 2007

Moaz Yusuf Ahmad | Aug 16, 07 5:11pm

I refer to the malaysiakini report Bus crash kills 20, two in critical condition. My condolences and prayers go out to the families of those who were injured or lost their lives as a result of this tragic bus crash along the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang.

This was no accident, and while the negligence of the driver may have been a factor in the crash, it was not the only factor. The traffic police, JPJ (Road Transport Department), Plus Bhd, CVLB (Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board), Transport Ministry and the Economic Planning Unit, along with the bus operator and the driver must all share responsibility for this tragedy.

The government agencies failed us when they failed to enforce the laws, rules, and regulations that are designed to keep the public safe. Our trust in these government agencies is hurt with each bus collision, each near-miss and each reckless bus driver.

The private transport companies failed us when they put their profits above their responsibility to the safety of the public. Private transport companies cannot be allowed to put their profits over the safety and security of the Malaysian people.

Private bus operators have shown that they are not committed to service and safety. That is why the government must restructure the public transportation industry, blacklist these dangerous companies and eliminate this unnecessary and dangerous competitive system.

The best way to encourage people to use public transportation is not to maintain artificially low fares. The government should allow higher fares and use tax credits to help those who cannot afford higher fares. It may turn out that bus fares rise as a result of this increased enforcement. However, this is something that we must accept. We cannot put a price on our safety and security.

The Malaysian people are trusting their government to do the right thing. Please, do not shatter this trust.

How many more, how long more should we wait?

2008-01-30T07:23:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 14 August 2007

Posted by: Lye See Leow

I am deeply saddened by the recent bus tragedy. I am angry as well. How could this happen??? Those perished are people's lives!!

I was a very common bus commuter. The bus is one of the most common and cheapest ways of travelling. Not everybody can afford to buy airplane tickets, even if we have a low-budget air company now.

I mentioned "I was" earlier because now I take the flight for fear of safety. Paying a little more so that I can travel with peace of mind. Bus accidents and disasters have long been heard in the news but where and what are the authorities doing about this? How many more lives should be taken away before we can stop such incidents from happening??

We already know that there are buses "FLYING" especially on the North-South Highway. They are flying above 120km/h. They overtake even the speeding cars. And flying even faster at night. There are laws but is anything done to make sure the law is enforced??

Malaysia - we are talking about 25 million people, high-class transportation system, very efficient highway but still, people are being killed in such incidents which can be totally avoided if there's real enforcement of law and some common sense.

Even in normal everyday driving to work, back home, many people drive thinking for themselves, stepping on the accelerator before the traffic light is about to turn yellow ... which to me, is extremely dangerous. Please sacrifice some minutes to wait for your turn, please value other people's lives, please drive not only for yourself but for others too. Please act unselfishly.

- People asked the question 'How many more, how long more should we wait?' Today, 6 months after the tragic bus accident of Bukit Gantang, 3 more precious lives were killed. Again, how many more, how long more should we wait until actions are taken?

Better Bus Travel for all

2008-01-30T07:20:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 15 August 2007

Posted by: jason_kua

What a pity, lives have been lost again when something could have been done. How many families are mourning over lost loved ones yet again. Did the police, RTD or Puspakom drop the ball? Enforcement at best is hodge-podge with even both the police and the RTD at it. Manpower constraints are often cited but when an accident occurs doesn't the country lose manpower too. The recent horrific bus accident will serve wake up call to the authorities to buck up. No one is pointing any fingers but I hope that they realise that they shoulder some of the responsibility not just the bus driver.

In their defence I would like to say, bus drivers are human too. They are being pushed to the limit of their endurance to ply up and down the NSE by their companies. Before the co-driver rule was introduced, the had to go at it solo. It must be clear that passenger's safety and not profit, must always be top priority. Rather let them be late then never arriving at all. I too have sat on the terror ride bus from Melaka before and count myself lucky to still be here to tell the story. For all our sakes let us learn from this tragedy before it strikes again, don't wait until it strikes close to home.

Have adequate breaks for the drivers, make sure they get a proper rest before letting them back on the road again. Have more frequent inspections of the buses and remove buses that have passed their prime to ensure safety. Do a background check on all bus drivers, currently employed and candidates. Make sure our highways are safe and well lit because they too factor in. Make bus travel safe for all.

Who says corruption does not kill?

2008-01-30T07:18:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 17 August 2007

Posted by: ongvalen

After the bus accident, many were quick to point fingers at the bus company bosses. But have you wondered about other possibilities. Perhaps it could be - CORRUPTION, is it possible?

Let's explore a bit. Why is the bus still on the road despite so many summons? Doesn't it require annual checks? OK, even if the company didnot send it to for checking, still it should be proactive and inform the police to be on look out for this bus number. Then during road blocks, the police would then tow the bus away. Instead what did they do? They issue summons like concert tickets. The Govt agencies should visit the company premises and conduct surprise checks on the fleet of buses. There are so many actions they can take, instead of just issuing summons. Is it effective? You can issue up to 3 summons but if there is still no action, then they should take the next level of action.

So, it is possible, right? The only thing is there is no proof because it is often paid in cash or paid indirectly or through the maintenance contractors. Moreover noone wants to appear in court to testify.

So, it is perfectly possible that due to corruption, so many people have died! CORRUPTION KILLS!!! But I am not accusing anyone here, just exploring possibilities. Perhaps there is no corruption...I don't know. What do you think?

A tragedy that should never have occured

2008-01-30T07:16:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 17 August 2007

Posted by: drchris

Act fast to prevent further mishaps

The whole nation was shocked and aghast at the news of Bukit Gantang bus tragedy at the wee hours of August 13 2007.Twenty people were killed in the tragic accident. We are now told that the 37-year old driver of the ill fated bus had numerous summonses and even warrants of arrest for various traffic offenses committed over the last 6 years.

It is very clear that he should have been suspended and taken off the roads long time ago. Why was that not done? It has also been revealed that the bus too was not road worthy. How is that it was still on the roads? How did it pass through the annual inspections that are mandatory? These are some pertinent questions to which we need to find honest answers.

It is easy now to point the finger at the driver who also lost his life in the tragedy. He might have his faults but the enforcement authorities and bus operators too should take their share of the blame and owe the public an explanation and apology. There is no doubt that the complacency and irresponsibility on their part has resulted in the unnecessary loss of 20 lives.

Imagine the immense sorrow and misery that these deaths have inflicted the families of these victims. It is dreadful to imagine that many among them could have been the sole bread winners. How many children would have lost their parents in the mishap? These deaths should never have occurred if only the authorities responsible had acted diligently according the trust placed in them by the people at large.

It is frightening to know that there may be many more such irresponsible drivers and buses plying our highways everyday. They are nothing but potential "death traps" waiting to snap at anytime. The authorities must act fast to take these dangerous "death traps" off our roads before more people lose their lives. The transport ministry must be firm in ensuring that bus operators adhere strictly to all the safety regulations that govern them.

Butterworth

A timely wake-up call

2008-01-30T07:14:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 19 August 2007

By LESLIE LAU

One man shares how a drivers’ rehabilitation course changed his perception of safe driving.

I NEARLY lost my driving licence four years ago. It was during a brief period when the Government strictly enforced the Kejara demerit points system against constant and repeat traffic offenders.

You see, I’d collected more than 20 traffic summonses in that year. Most of them were for speeding. I travelled frequently around the country those days as part of my job as a foreign correspondent here and, well, I liked driving fast.

And if you knew how to handle yourself, getting caught at speed traps was not a problem. A quick chat and a rap on the knuckle later and you’d be on your way.

But one day, I decided to finally have some principles in life. I collected all my summonses and paid them all. After the nice people at the police traffic division gave me a discount, I was still poorer by nearly RM2,000.

But nevertheless, I thought, that was that. I’d paid my fines.

So imagine my shock when I subsequently received a letter from the Transport Ministry. With disbelief, I read that they would be “taking away my licence because I had exceeded the number of Kejara points allowed per driver for each calendar year”.

You can look up for yourself the number of points allocated for each traffic offence, but suffice to say, two speeding tickets within a year result in an immediate suspension of one’s driving licence.

Yes, Malaysia has among the toughest driving laws in the world! So my more than 20 tickets should have resulted in the Government taking away my licence. Forever. It did not.

After a grovelling appeal letter from me, the ministry offered me a lifeline: I’d have to attend a drivers’ rehabilitation course, at my own expense, and the Government would allow me to keep my licence.

I attended the course, which was held over a weekend at a driving school near Banting. There we were: a motley crew of about 20 that included a pregnant housewife, a vegetable seller, some businessmen, a few government clerks, and a journalist.

There were yawns, mutterings of “I don’t know what I’m doing here because I know all these stuff already,” as the instructor taught us the theory of defensive driving on our first day.

But did we? I looked around in disbelief at these fellow mature adult Malaysians, because I saw on many of their faces puzzled looks.

During the many coffee and food breaks, I discovered why many of them were puzzled. They actually joked about how ridiculous defensive driving was to them.

Defensive driving struck many of my course-mates as a joke. The idea that we should anticipate other drivers and, God forbid, pedestrians, was beyond them.

But despite how boring it was, the instructors’ hammering-over-the-head style of driving home the point of safe defensive driving techniques (like looking at the rear view mirror and side mirror once every one or two minutes), began to work.

As we wound up day one of the course, many of us were actually getting it.

You can joke about it, but turning on indicators, for example, is done for a reason; before the course, the rationale for it was lost on most of my course-mates. More than half the class actually confessed to never ever using their indicators.

“If I used my indicators to change lanes, then the other drivers will never give way,” one man said. “I am too lazy to use indicators. If I am slowing down, it should be obvious I am going to turn,” said another.

It is amazing how you look at yourself. In my mind I was a great driver. After all, I could control a performance car at around 200kph on a racetrack. I must be good.

But during the class conversation on the use of indicators, I remembered with private embarrassment an incident a few years ago: I had made a quick left turn without indicating, and immediately heard a low muffled sound coming from the left rear window of my car.

I looked in horror at the sight of a young man still somehow astride his bicycle, holding on to my car after I had sideswiped him. I stopped the car immediately, made sure he was okay, gave him a few bucks, and off I went doing my best to forget the whole thing.

Until our course discussion.

So at the end of day one of motoring camp, it began to sink in for most of us that we were all there for a reason. If we were really the good drivers we thought we were, we would not have been there.

We were bad drivers.

By the second day, some of us even began enjoying ourselves and did something we were initially deadset against doing. We actually learned some good driving habits.

Most of the day was spent taking cars out for evaluation drives.

Like us, our instructors also learned. They learned that most Malaysians liked to steer with just one hand most of the time. They learned that most Malaysians do not bother observing important things like children playing by the side of the road. And, oh yes, they learned that some of us still insisted on speeding.

Later, we all tried our hand at braking tests and high-speed evasion manoeuvres.

At the end of the day, we were given our certificates. We were also told that we were on probation. If I received one traffic ticket within the next 12 months, I would lose my licence.

I cannot say today that I am the best driver in the world. But what I can say is that the Kejara system and the subsequent drivers’ rehab made me a better driver.

By better, I mean mature. I mean that I now rarely speed. Well, I try not to anyway. I am actually afraid of getting caught.

Oh, it is not that I have not received a speeding ticket since. God knows some roads have the strangest speed limits.

I actually think we do not need to amend any of our laws to prevent tragedies such as the bus accident that claimed 20 lives last week. Our existing laws and regulations are more than adequate. We just do not have any enforcement.

Enforcement works. A case in point is the short stretch of road near the National Science Centre leading to Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur. The speed limit there is 80kph. And there are speed traps there about four or five times a month.

Regular users of that road like me always slow our cars down to within the legislated limit, and it gives me great joy to see those who flout the law getting flagged down by the cops. Nowadays, I’d say more than 90% of drivers on that road obey the law – all because of enforcement.

In case you are wondering, the authorities stopped the strict enforcement of the Kejara system soon after I finished my course.

If it were strictly enforced, at least 200,000 drivers, if not more, would have lost their driving licence. Public pressure resulted in the Kejara system being put in cold storage.

Considering how Malaysians drive, I say that it is a pity that all these errant drivers have not been taken off the road.

And it is a pity that the driver of the bus in last week’s accident, with his outstanding summonses, would still be on the road today if he had stayed awake and nothing untoward had happened.

I wonder how many ticking time bombs like him are on Malaysian roads today, just waiting to kill someone?

Leslie Lau is a former journalist with The Star and the Singapore Straits Times. He is now a public relations consultant, and a slower driver.

Taking a gamble

2008-01-30T07:07:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 19 August 2007

By HARIATI AZIZAN and JOSEPH LOH

WE have no other option. All we can do is to pray hard.” This was the general sentiment shared by the hundreds of Malaysians waiting to board their express buses at Puduraya and the Jalan Duta bus stations here yesterday.

The one-week mid-semester school break is on again and the long balik kampung and holidaymaking rush started on Friday, with families and students making up the highest number of the exodus out of the city.

Looking at the throng at the bus stations, it was hard to believe that it has been less than a week since the horrific road tragedy – said to be the country’s worst – at Km229 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang, Perak, which claimed 21 lives and injured nine others.

Many travellers admitted that they were worried about their safety but with no viable alternative available, they had no choice but to “gamble with their lives”.

May Lee, 28 who was travelling to her hometown in Johor with six young children including her nephews and nieces:

“I always take the bus back to my hometown, and I guess I am used to it. It is scary when an accident happens but I don’t really have a choice.”

Sally Khuat, 23, a primary school teacher from Cheras, who travels home to Alor Star, Kedah, about 10 times a year to visit her family:

“Of course I am afraid of what may happen if I take the bus, but if I do not, how am I supposed to get home? I only take buses from this particular bus company. They do not have as many summonses and accidents, and are constantly upgrading their fleet.

“I think accidents happen because of the driver. They are the ones who are driving fast or even fall asleep at the wheel. I do not think that the condition of the bus can be so bad that it can cause such major accidents.”

Farhana Abdul Salam, 22 from Muar, Johor, a fourth year student at Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Tanjung Malim, Perak:

“Sometimes I get worried when I see the bus driver looking exhausted and sleepy but I’m too scared to say anything. So I just pray hard all the way.”

Marianna Mohd Hashim, 22, from Kajang, Selangor, a fourth year student at UPSI:

“There are many bus drivers who drive fast but what can I do? I am too scared to go up to the driver and ask him to stop because my life is in his hands. What if I only make him angry and he drives even faster to spite me?”

Rosmawati Mat Deris who was returning home to her hometown with her three children:

“It is the same story every time. When something happens, everyone will come up with various proposals to improve things but then nothing is implemented, until another big accident happens. Something needs to be done about how drivers are hired and their working condition. Like the driver of the bus in Bukit Gantang, how did he get away with so many offences? There are also many bus drivers who are on drugs.”

UPSI student Mastura Md Bakhir, 22, from Dungun, Terengganu:

“I always take the night bus home, because it is the most convenient for me. It saves time and I have classes during the day. If I take the night bus, I can sleep all the way and arrive in the morning. I know it could be dangerous and I am scared but for now this is my best choice because I don’t want to waste my holiday.”

M. Shalinee, 19, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia:

“Since the accident, my mum has been really worried and told me to be careful but how can I be careful when it is really the driver’s fault if there is an accident?

“There have been many times on my way home when I feel that the bus driver was going really fast but what can I do? So I just close my eyes and pray hard to God to keep me safe.”

Mohd Hazrol Halim, 19, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, who takes the bus home every time there is a break in classes, which is about every one-and-a half months:

“Trains are cheaper – RM17 for the economy ticket as opposed to the RM24 I pay for the bus, but that is not convenient for me. Yes, of course I am wary of the safety of the bus, but what can I do about it?”

Mohd Zaki Ahmad, 47, and his family – wife Mariam, 43, son Mohd Amaluddin, 17, daughters Nadirah, 13, and Syasa Amirah 11 – who were taking the bus back to his hometown of Alor Star:

“We booked the tickets two weeks ago, before the accident happened, but we decided to take the bus anyway. I feel that there is insufficient enforcement on the part of the police and the JPJ.”

- The Malaysian public view travelling by express bus a gamble on their lives. After the Bukit Gantang bus tragedy until today, 6 months after the tragedy, taking express buses remains a gamble for the Malaysian public. Nothing has changed.

Bkt Gantang bus crash: Victim No 22 succumbs

2008-01-30T07:05:00.000+08:00

The Star Online - 19 August 2007

By CHAN LI LEEN

IPOH: The death toll of the country's worst bus crash at Bukit Gantang continued to rise with Vietnamese factory worker Quang Ngor Hung, 27, becoming the 22nd person to die.

He succumbed to head injuries at the Ipoh Hospital here at 5.20pm on Saturday, a result of Monday's crash at KM229 of the North-South Expressway near Taiping.

In the Monday accident, 20 died instantly while nine others were seriously injured after the bus they were travelling in crashed into a ditch.

The bus was heading north after picking passengers in Malacca.

Quang, an employee of Eastern Asia Industries Sdn Bhd in Sungai Petani, Kedah, was on his way back from holidaying in Malacca at the time of the incident.

Three-year-old Indonesian Abdul Kariim H. Abu Bakar died on Friday without gaining consciousness at the intensive care unit in Taiping Hospital.

20 dead in Malaysian bus crash

2008-01-30T06:54:00.000+08:00

- 13 August 2007

CNN(International).com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- At least 20 people died when an express bus overturned on Malaysia's main highway Monday, tearing off the vehicle's roof and flinging seats into the air in what officials said was the country's worst traffic disaster.

Nineteen people were killed at the scene and one died at a nearby hospital in the northern town of Taiping, local fire department spokesman Amirudin Kamarudin told The Associated Press.
Nine other people on the bus were hospitalized, including a young boy and a man who were in intensive care, said a hospital doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

"The impact of the accident ripped off the roof," Raja Musa Raja Razak, the police chief of the area, told the AP by telephone from the site in Bukit Gantang, about 125 miles north of Kuala Lumpur.

The driver was among the dead, Raja Musa said. Previous police and news reports erroneously said the driver was injured.

"It is the worst traffic accident in the (modern) history of the nation," said Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, who visited the scene.

The cause of the accident was not immediately apparent, although Amirudin, the fire department spokesman, said there were no skid marks on the road, indicating the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The accident occurred before dawn on the North-South Expressway, which runs the entire length of the country from the Thai border in the north to Johor Bahru at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula.

National news agency Bernama said the private transport company bus was going downhill when it hit a protective barrier on the side and careened 20 yards off the road before flipping over and falling into a 20-feet-deep ditch.

Raja Musa said the weather was fine and that the downhill slope was not steep.

Malaysia has a high-quality highway system with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour. But speeding is common, and many do not follow safety procedures; tailgating occurs frequently, as does failure to signal before changing lanes.

memorial

2008-01-30T06:41:00.000+08:00

memorial for nianz at the kampar road temple on sunday (3rd february 2008) at 10am

for those who are interested, you're welcomed to turn up. if not, please, say a prayer for her to find peace and be in a better place.

we all still miss you dearly.
but who are we to hold you back on this mortal plain when i'm sure, it's a better place you're in?

SMS from Chung Lern:

Ning's Memorial

Date: 3rd Feb 2008
Time: 10am
Venue: Mahindrama Temple(Kampar Road)

Bus Crash No More

Four die in bus-trailer accident near Behrang

Express bus plunges into drain, 25 hurt

27 killed as tour bus overturns in Cameron Highlands

Revoked: Licences of two bus companies involved in two fatal crashes

Karak bus crash: Blacklisted driver had no licence for past 13 years

Seven killed in bus crash

Expressing our horror is not good enough

12 killed in horror crash near NS-Malacca border

Quick Clicks

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

Petition To Have Safer Bus Rides For Long Distance Routes

Seven injured after express bus rammed into guardrail

Bills to improve public transport and safety tabled

Public Land Transport Commission will resolve fragmented jurisdiction woes

Bus operators’ attitude on safety to be blamed for accidents

So many laws, so little enforcement

Lowly-paid and exhausted drivers behind most accidents

Double decker bus drivers need additional training

Bus skidded before crash, survivor recalls

Horror before shift change

10 killed, 2 injured in accident in Ipoh

Bus companies to be held accountable for hiring bad drivers

Govt plans GPS devices on buses to curb speeding

Govt proposes mechanism to limit bus speed

Two die, seven hurt in bus and trailer crash

Entire bus fleet suspended after fatal accident

SPOTLIGHT: Website receives 10,000 signatures

Express bus rams into car, killing mom and children

Central system on bus drivers’ history needed

6 die, 5 injured in express bus crash

Express buses encouraged to install GPS

Bus service only by firms that clear all fines

Road Safety Dept to conduct study on buses

‘Introduce safety belts for express buses’

Nine die, 19 injured in bus crash near Tangkak

Rear Seatbelt Dilemma

Two More Perished in NSE Bus Crash

Government wants bus passengers to belt up while on the road

Two killed in Karak crash, 17 including driver, hurt

JPJ seizes 10 Konsortium buses

One-month ban for ‘bad record’ bus operator

Thai girl dies in bus crash

Soldier killed, 29 injured in bus plunge

By C.S. NATHANPictures by LOW BOON TAT

Malaysians, Do NOT Get Us In Trouble WIth Your Comments

Online petition for Nian Ning

The Memorial - 3rd February 2008

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

Pictures That Will Be Remembered

How You Can Help Offline

Letters To The Editor Of The Star

A Map To Mahindarama Temple

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

Penumpang nampak pemandu bas main SMS

Family mourns loss of beautiful, intelligent go-getter

Pesan beli kain kafan

Seorang lagi penumpang bas ekspres meninggal

Bus crash: Driver had 13 outstanding summonses

Dua maut, 9 parah bas terbalik

Two die, three injured in bus crash

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

Past bus tragedies

Foundation cites JPJ officers for alleged negligence

CVLB cards for express bus drivers

JPJ to conduct checks at bus terminals

CVLB backs jail move

Five agencies in blitz on errant buses

Errant bus operators and drivers targeted

Chan: Refresher courses a must

Bukit Gantang crash aftermath: Unhappy cabinet orders immediate action, study

Bus tragedy was no accident

How many more, how long more should we wait?

Better Bus Travel for all

Who says corruption does not kill?

A tragedy that should never have occured

A timely wake-up call

Taking a gamble

Bkt Gantang bus crash: Victim No 22 succumbs

20 dead in Malaysian bus crash

By C.S. NATHAN
Pictures by LOW BOON TAT