# Malaysia's Notorious Interstate Express Buses



## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

One of the many interstate express bus accidents in Malaysia robbed of my friend's life due to poor enforcement by Malaysian authorities.

- In Malaysia, interstate bus drivers are not screened by bus companies and the authorities. 

- Seatbelts are not installed in interstate express buses travelling up to 140km/hr on Malaysian motorways.

- Those buses normally travel up to 140km/hour. (motorway speed limit in Malaysia - 110km/hour)

- Bus drivers can have up to 13 summonses, get away with it and continue driving interstate express buses. 

An account of the accident.

According to the survivors, the top deck of the interstate double decker bus was swaying left and right as the driver was going really fast. Some passengers at the bottom deck saw the bus driver texting a lot and driving really fast in the heavy rain. After a while the passengers felt something amiss and saw the bus driver STAND UP suddenly (while the bus was moving!) and split seconds later, the passengers screamed really loudly and the bus spun three times, hit the divider and careened to the opposite highway where an oncoming MPV crashed into the back of the bus. The victims were sitting at the back row. The passengers of the MPV only suffered minor injuries. To add insult to the injury, the bus driver only sustained a broken right leg. 

I would like to hear comments from an international perspective.

*What are the laws, regulations and enforcement levels governing interstate express buses/coaches in your country?*

My friends and I are planning a petition to urge the Malaysian government to review the laws and regulations governing interstate express buses and to address the issue of poor enforcement and inefficiency of the Malaysian public authorities.


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

The news below shows the worst interstate express bus accident in Malaysian history which happened barely 6 months ago. 

Immediately after the accident, the Malaysian government promised a nationwide overhaul of the interstate express bus service. The police force were put into action to screen interstate bus drivers and stern warnings were issued to bus companies.

CNN.com

*20 dead in Malaysian bus crash* August 13 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- At least 20 people died when an express bus overturned on Malaysia's main highway Monday, tearing off the vehicle's roof and flinging seats into the air in what officials said was the country's worst traffic disaster.

Nineteen people were killed at the scene and one died at a nearby hospital in the northern town of Taiping, local fire department spokesman Amirudin Kamarudin told The Associated Press.

Nine other people on the bus were hospitalized, including a young boy and a man who were in intensive care, said a hospital doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

"The impact of the accident ripped off the roof," Raja Musa Raja Razak, the police chief of the area, told the AP by telephone from the site in Bukit Gantang, about 125 miles north of Kuala Lumpur.

The driver was among the dead, Raja Musa said. Previous police and news reports erroneously said the driver was injured.

"It is the worst traffic accident in the (modern) history of the nation," said Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, who visited the scene.

The cause of the accident was not immediately apparent, although Amirudin, the fire department spokesman, said there were no skid marks on the road, indicating the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The accident occurred before dawn on the North-South Expressway, which runs the entire length of the country from the Thai border in the north to Johor Bahru at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula.

National news agency Bernama said the private transport company bus was going downhill when it hit a protective barrier on the side and careened 20 yards off the road before flipping over and falling into a 20-feet-deep ditch.

Raja Musa said the weather was fine and that the downhill slope was not steep.

Malaysia has a high-quality highway system with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour. But speeding is common, and many do not follow safety procedures; tailgating occurs frequently, as does failure to signal before changing lanes.


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However, all those actions came to a halt as soon as the Malaysian public forget about the accident. Thereby, barely 6 months later, another fatal accident occured.hno:hno:

*2 killed, 24 hurt in car-bus crash* 25 January 2008

SLIM RIVER: Two people were killed while seven others, including a bus driver, were seriously injured when a double-decker express bus was involved in an accident with an MPV at Km385 of the North- South Expressway near Behrang here yesterday. 

The dead are Mohd Zailani Mustafa, 23, of Sg Nibong, Bayan Lepas, Penang, and Lee Nian Ning, 21, of Taman Gelugor, Penang.

Seventeen others, including the co-driver, were slightly injured and received outpatient treatment at the Slim River Hospital. The bus, Konsortium Express, was ferrying 37 passengers.

The injured were pulled out by passing motorists. Firemen were summoned to extricate the deceased and pull out the three seriously injured who were pinned under the bus.

Slim River deputy police chief DSP Adzhar Othman said the bus was heading south when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The bus skidded, crashed into the railing and landed on its side at 5.55pm.

The MPV, which was following closely behind, could not brake in time and crashed into the bus. However, the driver of the vehicle was unhurt. There was no one else in the MPV.

The collision caused a massive traffic jam between Behrang and Slim River, and PLUS had to close certain stretches of the expressway’s southbound lane and open up a contra lane on the northbound for smooth traffic flow. 

The News Straits Times Online


*Bus crash: Driver had 13 outstanding summonses*

By CLARA CHOOI

IPOH: The driver of a double-decker express bus that saw three of its passengers killed in a crash near Slim River on Friday had 13 outstanding police summonses issued against him. 

Records in www.myeg.com.my revealed that Ruslim Isa, 43, who was sent to the Teluk Intan Hospital for a broken right leg after the 5.55pm accident, had seven summonses issued against him for speeding, five for illegal overtaking and one for not using an overhead bridge. 

The summonses, amounting to RM2,660, dated as far back as 2000. 

The accident occurred at KM382 of the highway between Slim River and Behrang during a downpour. 

Slim River deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Adzhar Othman said that blood samples taken from Ruslim would be sent to the Chemistry Department, while the remains of the bus would also be sent to Puspakom for analysis on Monday. 

"At this point, we cannot yet ascertain the cause of the accident, whether or not it is due to human or technical error. 

"Investigations are still ongoing," he said. 

The crash, which had initially killed two passengers - Mohd Zailani Mustafa, 23, of Sungai Nibong, Bayan Lepas, Penang, and Lee Nian Ning, 21, of Taman Gelugor, Penang - claimed its third victim on Saturday. 

Pang Poon Eng, 20, from Gombak, Batu Caves in Selangor, died at about 1.30am at the Ipoh Hospital here. 

Nine other passengers of the Penang-Kuala Lumpur bound Konsortium bus were warded at the Slim River Hospital and the Ipoh Hospital for critical injuries, whilst the others received outpatient treatment. 

The bus, which departed from Penang at 2.20pm on Friday, was carrying 39 people.

The Star Online


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

*Family mourns loss of beautiful, intelligent go-getter*

By ANDREA FILMER

PENANG: She had the world at her feet but death robbed medical student Lee Nian Ning of a brilliant future. 

The straight As student, former state swimmer and accomplished Girl Guide was on the double-decker express bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur which crashed near Slim River on Friday. 

Nian Ning, 21, a Public Service Department (PSD) scholar at the University of New South Wales in Australia who was on her way to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur, was among three passengers who perished when the driver lost control of the bus and slammed into a divider. 

“We learnt that the driver had 13 summonses against him. Why had the company not screened him and realised that he was not competent to drive that bus? 

“I wonder why the authorities still allowed such a monster to roam our streets?” asked Nian Ning's distraught father Lee Hock Chuan, 50, a company human resources director. 

He also expressed disappointment over the bus company's reaction to the tragedy. 

“They know who the victims are and yet, I have yet to receive a single call from them. There is not a single representative from the company here today to pay respects to my eldest daughter,” he said. 

The family is contemplating legal action and Lee appealed to witnesses to come forward. 

“It won’t bring her back but we just want justice to be done,” he said. 

The attractive Nian Ning, who stood 1.72m tall, was a national backwoods cooking champion and had set her sights on becoming a doctor. 

She scored straight As in both the UPSR and PMR and obtained 11A1s and one A2 in the SPM exams. 

“From a young age, she was so clear about her goal. Even though she had been approached to be a model, the only thing she wanted to be was an orthopaedic surgeon,” said her mother Ong Keep Gim, 48, a teacher. 

Friends and family of the young victim paid their respects at her home in Taman Gelugor yesterday. 

She was later cremated at the Batu Gantung crematorium. 

More than 20 of her closest friends also created a scrapbook with personal messages to their friend. 

“She was determined and a perfectionist,” said J.A. Cheng, 20, who was Nian Ning's schoolmate. 

“She knew what she wanted in life and achieved her dreams. We will miss her very much.” 

The Star Online


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## FK (Oct 24, 2004)

OMG!


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## inklang (Jan 29, 2008)

*Taking Action*

My sister & father were in that bus as well. My sister is now in ICU with multiple rib fractures & severe lung injury. Father escape with stiches on ear & forehead, fractures on rib & shoulder. I want justice to be done. Let me know how I can contact you so we can take action against the driver / bus company. 

http://maomao-ish.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-is-time-to-do-right-thing.html


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## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

It's so sad to hear someone die at such a young age. 

It makes one shudder to guess how many people die on China's roads.


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

inklang: I am one of the dead victims' (Nian Ning) friend. I'm sure you have seen the forwarded messages circulated all over the blogsphere. It would be great if you can contact Chung Lern because he is the victim's boyfriend. The Lee family has decided to take legal action against the bus company. Hopefully, all the victims in this accident can stand united against the bus company and also to demand that the government take action to ensure that such accidents do not happen again.


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## DCKL (Aug 9, 2007)

I've travelled on some of the "buses/coaches" and always felt unsafe. Mainly because the drivers drive way to fast, the roads are badly maintained from Bintulu to Miri to Kuching and there are sometimes large drops into valleys with frail looking barriers. Some of the coaches need to be retired as they look so old and battered. I always tried to make my parents buy tickets for the bronze colour buses because they look so much safer and reliable...I can't remember the name of the complany...something like mtc.

I remember reading in the paper that the same bus we travelled on crashed the day after. Scary thought.


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## Andrew (Sep 11, 2002)

My goodness, I've travelled on the interstate busses in Malaysia a number of times. I never had any problems personally (except that they never stick to timetables), though I could certainly see the potential for accidents, and I'm incredibly saddened to see that such a horrific event has occurred.


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

DCKL said:


> I've travelled on some of the "buses/coaches" and always felt unsafe. Mainly because the drivers drive way to fast, the roads are badly maintained from Bintulu to Miri to Kuching and there are sometimes large drops into valleys with frail looking barriers. Some of the coaches need to be retired as they look so old and battered. I always tried to make my parents buy tickets for the bronze colour buses because they look so much safer and reliable...I can't remember the name of the complany...something like mtc.
> 
> I remember reading in the paper that the same bus we travelled on crashed the day after. Scary thought.


I don't know about the express buses in East Malaysia but i reckon the system is just as bad as the buses in West Malaysia. Buses in West Malaysia are new and comfortable and they travel on well developed motorways. The problem remains with enforcement by the relevant authorities. These interstate buses travel at neck breaking speed, receive summonses, don't pay them and continue operating for many years without getting screened, detected or banned! There are no safety belts in these buses as well and whenever a bus accident happens the authorities will sweep it under the carpet. It's so frustrating.


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## jlshyang (May 22, 2005)

Andrew said:


> My goodness, I've travelled on the interstate busses in Malaysia a number of times. I never had any problems personally (except that they never stick to timetables), though I could certainly see the potential for accidents, and I'm incredibly saddened to see that such a horrific event has occurred.


We should be glad not to travelled in one of those doomed buses. 

I travelled in those interstate buses at least once a month when i was in university away from my hometown. The drivers are incompetent and unprofessional at their job. They speed, they are rude and they can multitask when driving some 40 passengers for 4 hours. The bus driver of the recent bus crash that killed my friend was texting on the wheels before the accident occured. 

We have come up with a petition to demand that the government take action to ensure that these unnecessary accidents do not happen again. It is extremely hard to get the attention of the government. They only listen to what they want to listen to but we have to do something about it before more people are killed. It could be anybody!


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

I once took an interstate bus trip in Malaysia, it was horrible! They made us watch the Charlie's Angels movie.... TWICE!

I could have died. Lucy Lui's acting is so bad!


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