TRANSIT learned the sad news that 7 young Malaysians have died and 39 were injured in a bus crash Friday night at km38, Jalan Genting Sampah.
Police are investigating to see if the driver may driving recklessly. A recent update has said that the driver had no (bus?) driver’s license and the bus provided was an old vehicle that was ‘not in good condition’. The driver has also claimed that the brakes of the bus failed and he tried to reduce speed but to no avail.
For more information, read the following articles:
- Man behind wheel of ill-fated bus apologises to families
- Karak bus crash: Detained bus driver has no driving licence (The Star);
- Teenage survivors share horror of accident; (The Star);
- Seven killed in bus crash (The Star);
TRANSIT Says
TRANSIT wishes to express our sorrow at the loss of more Malaysians due to the continued inaction of the Malaysian government. We have yet to recover the shock from the very recent Simpang Ampat bus crash, in which most of the victims are youths with great prospects towards the nation’s advancement.
We know bus roll overs are the common cause of death for bus passengers, and we are still wondering why there has been no measures taken to address issues relating to preventable and accidental roll overs. After all, there are new patented technologies on side airbags and seat belts for bus passengers that the government can always encourage (or force) bus operators to introduce. Think they are too costly? Wait until you sum up the cost of loss productivity inflicted by the premature deaths of our young, aspiring youths whose hope we depend on to bring this country to a greater future!
We do not know which is worse – the continued carnage on our roads or the continued interest in announcing MRT projects (to divert attention away from the non-starter LRT extension projects).
Sadly, even SPAD the “independent” Land Public Transport Commission – which was supposed to move public transport forward and set the express bus issues right – appears to be more interested in the MRT project than in working to enforce regulations in the express bus industry.
According to Syed Hamid Albar, SPAD cannot “get started” until early 2011 because the amendments to the Road Transport Act never went through Parliament.
Frankly, TRANSIT wonders how, if bus operators have no faith that SPAD can or will enforce the regulations, how can the public transport have confidence that SPAD will improve public transport in Malaysia?
Transit Malaysia 
2 replies on “7 young Malaysians killed, 39 injured in Genting bus crash (Update #3)”
“The driver told police he had lost his licence, but a check with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) showed that he did not have one.
Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) chairman Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique had, in a statement earlier, said that the driver S. Muthumani, 36, was employed by Taipan Suria (MM2H) Sdn Bhd and that an audit finding on the company was held yesterday to get more details on the company’s operations.
The results of the audit, she said, would be tabled on Nov 8 at a meeting of the Fatal Accident Inquiry Committee.
Sources said it was time to review charter bus licences as such buses had monopolised the industry and had affected express bus, school bus and factory bus operators.
They also said Taipan Suria, which was registered in March 1997, had four directors and had 99 active licences.
However, the JPJ’s system showed that 101 buses were registered under the company as charter buses.
The bus involved in the crash – with registration number RC 9863 – was registered on Jan 25, 1996 under the charter bus category.
It was learnt that JPJ was in the midst of investigating why the charter bus had the word Trans Holiday on it and was painted in green and white – the colours of a tour bus.”
Above from The Star report 2nd Nov.2010.
It is high time someone step up and shoulder the responsibility and resign graciously; please don’t take on the job if not competent enough to make improvements; and let someone fresh to take over.
We need changes; and the changes are not quick enough. It is like a battle zone now; casualties are mounting daily.
If the area of responsibility is too overwhelming, consider creating new departments and separate public transports to respective to their modes – LRTs, buses, taxis, ferries, etc.; and separate them from cargo transports.
[…] doubt exists on whether these recycled buses are built to withstand rollover crashes such as the recent Genting accident. Good, bad and ugly By Pauline […]