No more hiding bad driving

The Star

a day ago

Safety a priority: Nanta (centre) speaking during the joint press conference with Fahmi and Loke. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The days of errant bus drivers are numbered with a database containing their information, including past criminal records, being compiled for the reference of prospective employers.
To be developed by the Land Transport Agency, the database will include information on blacklisted drivers as well as the number of traffic offences they have committed.
Bus operators will have better insight into their prospective employees with the database being mooted by the Transport Ministry.
'Currently, there is no such system available for operators to refer to when hiring drivers,' Transport Minister Anthony Loke told reporters at a joint press conference with Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi after a weekly post-Cabinet meeting.
'The Cabinet has instructed the Transport Ministry to put further emphasis on the issues of enforcement. The ministry will give its utmost cooperation to execute this instruction,' he added.
Loke said this is one of several steps taken by his ministry following the fatal bus crash which killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students and injured 33 others on the East-West Highway in Gerik, Perak, on Monday.
Loke also revealed that his ministry has revoked the vehicle permit of the bus operator involved in the tragedy.
He said the decision was made based on early investigations, which found the Kedah-based company had loaned the bus to a different individual in Kelantan at a cost of RM500 per month.
He said this was against the vehicle permit regulations.
The bus owner also failed to provide a GPS data report to the authorities because the device was not active, he added.
'These two requirements were clearly not met by the operator.
'Therefore, all vehicle permits owned by the operator will be revoked and any appeal made will not be accepted,' Loke said.
Meanwhile, Nanta said the Works Ministry had allocated funds for upgrade works at the East-West Highway since 2023.
He said the road was built in 1967 and requires upgrading.
Nanta said he had approved RM30mil for the upgrade and maintenance in several critical sections of the highway in 2023, including improvements to the pavement and street lights.
In addition, a total of RM7.2mil was allocated for repairs at other road sections of the highway last year.
'This year, RM55mil was allocated to repair accident-prone areas on the highway,' Nanta added.
Fahmi also announced that the Cabinet had agreed to provide an additional RM10,000 for the families of victims who perished in the crash and RM5,000 for those who sustained injuries.
He also said that the National Higher Education Fund Corpo­ration loans of the victims who passed away would be waived.