Harsh punishment if company behind runaway bus found guilty – transport minister Liow Tiong Lai

Following the incident where a runaway bus rammed into ten cars on the downhill stretch near the North-South Expressway’s Menora Tunnel recently, transport minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has said the company that owns the bus will face harsh action if any laws were broken, in a report by The Star.

Liow said that the ministry would perform a thorough investigation and look into the laws that could be used to punish the culprit(s). In the 2.45pm incident on Sunday at KM265.8 of the southbound lane, the bus was captured on video ramming into several cars after making its way round the curve on the expressway.

According to Ipoh OCPD assistant commissioner Sum Chang Keong in an earlier report, the bus’ brakes weren’t functioning properly, resulting in the bus coming down the slope at high speed before ramming into the cars. A 21-year-old girl, a passenger in one of the cars that were hit, suffered pain in the stomach area, but no one was seriously injured in the incident.

The 51-year old bus driver from Johor has since been remanded until Thursday to assist in investigations. Perak traffic police chief Supt Wan Jamil Wan Chik told reporters that the driver had nine outstanding traffic summonses issued between 2011 and last year, and that his urine test returned negative for drugs.

“A total of 63 traffic summonses have been issued to this particular bus involved in the incident. We are still awaiting the result of other tests from the Chemistry Department,” he said, adding that the bus would be sent to Puspakom to be checked.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.

10% discount when you renew your car insurance

Compare prices between different insurer providers and use the promo code 'PAULTAN10' when you make your payment to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services.

Car Insurance

Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • Tampered on Jul 12, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    Video was speed up. Why so ?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • See the Perodua which is smart to avoid the runaway bus?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • OMG…u don’t talk cock here…this is not happened 1st time…who feed u, u should know what to do for them.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Susukotak on Jul 12, 2016 at 3:34 pm

    cakap jer lebih… lepas ni dia buka sykt baru plak. 2 tahun jd lagi… puspakom taknak punish?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 0
  • Mohd Faiz on Jul 12, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    63 traffic summonses yet the bus still can operate as usual..malaysia boleh!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 38 Thumb down 0
    • camtakpro on Jul 13, 2016 at 10:14 am

      Transport Minister just barking. If the bus operator is one of UMNO relatives, he will just shake his tail and consider case closed. 63 traffic summonses, 63 for God’s sake!

      How hard can it be to find, fined, and punish the owner, i.e. the company?!

      The next thing you know, maybe he will bark it as “natural disaster” because it is an act of God.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • EyeofPanda on Jul 12, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    9 summons since 2011 but escaped from previous Ops Warta? A driver who have 9 summons is allowed to drive public transport.
    And a bus that hv 63!!! summons is permitted to carry civilians! and roamed everywhere they like.
    The bus shldnt hv been allowed to operated at all, keep in compound yard.
    But oh wai…No matter how strict the laws or harsh punishments we have, if. budaya “duit kopi” still digunapakai, criminals with 9999 death warrants also can roam freely.
    Regular SOP: “Sudah terhantuk, baru tergadah”. Sudah jadi viral baru nak sibuk.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 0
  • transformer on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    speeding caused Brake failure or Brake failure caused speeding? then why didn’t driver try lower gear to slow and then next lower gear and so on….. then why this BUS no so called RETARDER? its BUS maker purposely remove RETARDER or Gov regulation its fine with/without RETARDER. Then what about BLACK BOX? Any?

    after read newspaper about this bus driver with 63 summons still plying on our highway, it’s not PSV/GDL that failed rakyat, it’s the whole police force, the whole RTD force, whole PUSPAKOM, the whole Ministry of Transport, the whole SPAD and the whole Government! TOTAL FAILURE!

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 63 Thumb down 0
    • tokok on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      pui … sendiri pon dibela oleh pencuri terbesar

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 1
    • It was reported he used low gear to slow down once the brakes aren’t working.

      How can a driver with so many summons still driving around? Even the bus got 63 traffic summons.

      Salah siapa? Bus company? Polis? JPJ?
      Semua.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 29 Thumb down 0
    • The only positive news is that no lives were lost in this incident. All this talk about investigation and action will be taken are so meh to these tired ears already.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
    • Yuzdi8 on Jul 13, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      1. Lower down the gear while going down the terrain will not successful coz they are heavy vehicle. They shud apply BEFORE going down the terrain and not in the middle way.
      2. Retarder only available to continental model, Japs model no retarder. Most retarder used in Scania buses.
      3. I suggest the gov shud withdraw the license similar to Genting Yellow bus which skidded into the ravine few years ago. Fair enough

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • orang biasa on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    in the 1st place, How can the that Bus still can renew Roadtax?!!
    2nd, How can the Company & Driver didn’t get any action after got some many summonses since 2011 until now?
    3rd, How come the Bus Company didn’t do maintenance or checklist before (after) journey?

    Sekarang baru nak cakap investigate lah, action lah, propose lah! All buLLsh!t. Luckily no people die. Thank God.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 23 Thumb down 0
  • inb4 its not bus fault, its not greedy transport kompeni fault, its not their driver fault. Ini mesti semua salah BNGov for whatever reasons!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 33 Thumb down 34
  • pomen on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:16 pm

    same dialogue repeated every year during festive season…boring

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
  • Tong sampah on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    In our dream any transport companies will be penalty by G

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • ford_ton on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    Correction. It is stated the bus with 63 summonses not the driver himself. There are several drivers to the same bus.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • So just because this incident that the Transport ministry zoom into it?
    Can they even be more proactice in assuring the safety of the road users?
    Why you let them renew roadtax and never revoke the license of the company earlier when their summons accumulate?
    How many more such companies / buses with high traffic offences?
    How the ministry could improve the quality of the drivers and services?

    So many questions to answer.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Of course, investigation will be done but the result of the investigation will never be known to the public. In the end, the same outcome: NFA (no further action).

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • C. P. MOHAN on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:47 pm

    I sometimes feel the problem is the Minister, who tends to deflect or find excuses rather to mitigate or solve issues.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • Bus company should now check their employee records more seriously including their health & the traffic offences they have made. Bus company should not put public lives at risk by hiring traffic offenders (some more regular offenders) to be their drivers. For the sake of the public and other innocent people on the road.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Yada yada yada… broken record.

    How many CEOs of bus companies have resigned, let alone charged, over such incidents in the past?

    Nada.
    Zilch.
    Zero.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • And guess who has been silent about this? Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Apa Daa…. S.P.A.D.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Calvin Azury on Jul 12, 2016 at 5:48 pm

    While JPJ are busy with offender of emergency lane to get more summons and money. The real issue that we always highlighted during Raya, CNY and Deepavali are the Bus companies didn’t follow regulation always on silent. JPJ didn’t do anything keep doing easy money job summon people be cheap hero to pleased the KPI.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Albert on Jul 12, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    Harsh punishment ?…..Hello sleeping YAB Minister.
    In Kangaroo Land,this bus would be crushed in a special yard for horrific traffic offenders.
    What if 20 people died in this accident?
    The usual hoo haa…siasat sini siasat sana,AG sendiri hukum the poor driver,hukum kao kao…after 3 months …..another runaway bus .50 people died.
    So….repeat…repeat
    Bolehland….. a land of everlasting perlindungan.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • truthbetold on Jul 12, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    kroni owns bus biz, but don’t have brains to run it. when S*** happens just pay off any officers concerned; keep biz running. when passengers DIE, just fire the driver and blame the bus mechanicals, but still continue to run biz; just pay off any officers concerned.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • Devaju Malaysia on Jul 12, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    No worries la……The Malaysian Authorities will deliberately put up a show and says will investigate this and that….Claim that will punish who, and who….

    After a few months, everything forgotten, the action from the authorities will be conveniently forgotten. The Authority maybe will buat taktau….Buat bodoh as usual. No action taken. fail tutup. Semua OK. Bus business goes as usual….until the next accident happen….

    I bet in the next festive season, accident like this will happens again.

    Malaysia memang semua boleh….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Ex VGM staff on Jul 12, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    The bus will look like speeding when it was just doing 50kmh and the cars are all stationary

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • Shitloads of summons and yet allowed to operate. Workings of SPAD at its best. That shows how shitty the system is. Putting innocent lives into such a person’s hands. If ever a suit is brought one shall sue the driver, make the employer vicariously liable and not forgetting to add in SPAD as a defendant to the suit. Let the justice system knock this meatheads!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Fucukyongtaufoo on Jul 12, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    Sorry to sound like a broken record but all rakyat know that such bus companies still survives despite so many traffic summones sure got link to some VVIP and link to some parties in BN. Otherwise legal action already been taken and such entity long time closed down already. If not, it only means that people in PDRM, Puspakom, JPJ and SPAD sleeping on duty waiting for disaster to happen.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • Mr Minister, this is happening to often and the people had listened to the same lame excuses every time there is an accident. Don’t talk but no action. If you are incapable please quit your job and let other manage. Every time same warning…….please!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • typical malaysian drivers…difference is that dude driving a huge bus

    normal car drivers also drive like dat in highway…all think they f1 driver

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Annoynimouse on Jul 13, 2016 at 9:14 am

    Yeah! Heard that before…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • chin peng on Jul 13, 2016 at 9:22 am

    I think the drive try to catch a pokemon in pokemon GO

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
 

Add a comment

required

required