KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — Speed and brake problems on a lane that was too wide were among the faults that caused a Genting Highlands bus to crash last August, killing 37 out of 53 people onboard, a report by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) revealed today.
The MIROS report also showed that the use of inappropriate safety barriers was part of six factors contributing to the bus’s fatal plunge into a ravine, according to Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
When asked if action will be taken on Genting Highlands Transport Sdn Bhd, Hishammuddin said that the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) is responsible for making such decisions, which he confirmed could include the shutting down of the bus company.
“I think that is within their powers and I also requested that by shutting down the services, Genting Highlands must provide alternative bus services so those using the route will not be affected,” Hishammuddin told reporters after a meeting on the MIROS report’s findings, referring to Genting Malaysia Berhad.
Hishammuddin confirmed that both the bus company and the resort operator were not related, also referring to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police force’s previous statements that the bus was not blacklisted.
Hishammuddin said the Ministry of Transport has decided to implement three new measures on December 1 to enhance road safety.
This will include the introduction of a Drivers Profile Section in JPJ, with the government agency being granted powers to suspend or revoke a driving licence.
JPJ and Puspakom officers will also be stationed at Genting Highlands to conduct checks on the buses’ safety starting from next month, while the government will ensure that Genting Highlands bus drivers are in good health and not driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Hishammuddin said the government would also be mulling amendments to strengthen relevant laws, saying that he wanted legal action to also be taken against the individuals running bus companies, instead of the companies alone. In the MIROS report, the bus driver was found to have exceeded the 50km per hour speed limit, while poorly functioning brakes with exhausted brake linings had caused the failure of the bus to slow down when taking a sharp turn.
The Truck Escape Ramp (TER)’s hidden location and inaccurate information on a signboard had made it difficult for the bus driver to use it and avoid the plunge; while the wide lane measuring between 4.2 to 4.9 metres, well-exceeding the standard 3.25 metres, had increased the tendency of bus drivers to breach speed limits, MIROS said.
The safety barriers used at the crash area — a rubble wall and guardrails — were not appropriate, while the bus company was also said to have failed to adhere to the Safety, Health and Environment Practice Code, the report said.
MIROS had prepared the report after 14 meetings with parties such as the bus operator, Genting Malaysia Bhd, Puspakom, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, bus chassis manufacturer Scania (M) Sdn Bhd, Bridgestone Tyre Sales (M) Sdn Bhd, JPJ, SPAD and the police force.
Besides the MIROS report, SPAD and the police force are expected to release their own reports into the Genting Highlands bus crash, with Hishammuddin saying that SPAD’s findings concurred with MIROS’s.
According to Hishammuddin, the government will first start by improving the road safety at Genting Highlands, before moving on to the 50 accident hotspots found nationwide.
In what is said to be the worst bus accident in recent years, the August 21 crash saw a bus with 53 passengers plunge into a 60m ravine near Genting Highlands in Pahang.
Of the 53 in the feeder bus, 37 including the driver were killed while 16 escaped with their lives, many with serious injuries.
Road fatalities involving express buses have been a recurrent issue in Malaysia.
The previous record for the highest fatalities was on December 20, 2010 when another express bus, on its way down from Cameron Highlands, hit a divider and overturned, killing 27 people onboard, including the driver.
