 SEPANG, April 21 — Bus companies must screen their drivers before they set off on journeys ferrying passengers, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said today in the wake of a road accident involving a long distance bus that killed one person yesterday. Syed Hamid said bus operators are responsible for ensuring that their drivers are fit for the journey. Government agencies such as the Road Transport Department (RTD) and National Anti-drugs Agency (AADK) cannot continuously monitor bus drivers and can only conduct sporadic tests, he added. Syed Hamid said the commission is looking at the possibility of suspending bus companies involved in fatal crashes, but cautioned that suspension alone was not the solution. “We will still take that action to show that we want operators to also look closer at their drivers especially at the point of departure,” he told reporters after visiting the new KLIA2 airport. Besides checking that their drivers were in good health, bus operators should also ensure that they were not taking drugs, he said. Syed Hamid acknowledged complaints by drivers who claimed they were forced to continue their trips despite suffering from fatigue, and urged them to raise their grouses with the Home Ministry. “Everybody has to contribute, I think let us not try to blame anyone, let us try to improve,” Syed Hamid said, having earlier observed that SPAD was usually blamed despite the shared responsibilities of various government agencies and bus operators in preventing bus accidents. Yesterday, a Singaporean tourist died when a double-decker tour bus plunged into a 10-metre deep ravine in Pahang, while the 37 other passengers and two drivers sustained injuries. Two other accidents involving buses took place in Pahang recently, with 10 people on an express bus injured in a Saturday crash at the KM118 of the East Coast Highway. On April 13, three passengers were killed while 10 others were injured when the Kuala Lumpur-Kelantan double-decker bus they were travelling on crashed at KM11, Jalan Bentong. MMail
|
Artikel Terpanas Minggu ini |
ADVERTISEMENT
37417
137
