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Authorities to get tough on errant bus drivers after two serious mishaps

JOHOR BARU: Police and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) have joined forces to come down hard on errant bus drivers following two serious mishaps in less than 24 hours.

Passengers have been advised to report directly to SPAD if the bus driver is reckless or speeding.

A special SPAD team based in Putrajaya has been tasked with immediately contacting the bus operator when such tip-offs are received.

With the rainy spell in full swing, traffic police are also stepping up operations against reckless bus drivers.

Six hospital employees were injured late Monday when the bus they were travelling in overturned minutes after leaving Hospital Sultanah Aminah here.

The impact was so bad that the bus split into two.

Early on Monday morning, three people, one of them a Cambodian tourist, suffered serious injuries while 22 others had minor cuts after the express bus they were travelling in went out of control and plunged into a drain.

The accident occurred at 4.40am at the 19th kilometre of the Ayer Hitam-Johor Baru stretch, minutes after the bus had passed the Kulai toll plaza.

Most of the passengers claimed that the driver had been speeding. Many passengers were thrown out of the vehicle.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities in both accidents.

Talking on the Monday night incident, Larkin Fire and Rescue Department operations commander C. Kesavan said the department received a call at 11.36pm and rushed to Jalan Mahmoodiah.

“When we arrived, passers-by had already pulled out some of the passengers and we managed to free a 40-year-old woman who was pinned inside the bus,” he said.

He added that six of the 25 passengers were injured and received outpatient treatment at the hospital.

“All the passengers were cleaners and general workers at the hospital and were heading home after completing their shift,” he said.

It is learnt that the bus driver was speeding, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

“The bus overturned at a sharp bend,” Kesavan said.

He added that the driver had been handed over to police for questioning.

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