Genting bus crash: Driver had previous offences, says SPAD's Syed Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR: The driver of Wednesday’s Genting bus crash had committed various offences, said Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.

“We received information from the police that the driver has quite a number of previous offences,” he told a press conference at the SPAD headquarters here.

He declined to elaborate on whether the offences were traffic-related or otherwise.

Syed Hamid said SPAD preferred that bus operators recruited drivers who were not blacklisted or had criminal records.

He added that operators often looked at a driver’s experience and licence, rather than finding out if he had any police record or previous traffic offences.

He also said the doomed bus that carried 37 people to their deaths was touted as one of the safest bus brands in the country.

The bus was made by Swedish manufacturer Scania, which maintained high standards, he said, adding that the bus had also passed its mandatory bi-annual road worthiness inspection by Puspakom in May.

On the steep Genting Highlands route, Syed Hamid said SPAD was thinking about distinguishing between normal and steep roads and which drivers could take.

“In Switzerland, when you want to become a driver of a high gradient area, you have to take a special test. We don’t have that sort of thing in this country,” Syed Hamid said.


On the Driver Information System (DIS), Syed Hamid said SPAD was in the process of coming up with a system that could be accessed by both bus operators and the public.

He said the commission hoped to coordinate with the Road Transport Department and the police over the system which is expected to be released in the first quarter of next year.

SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal said the commission was still sorting out privacy issues that would affect drivers.

“We’re looking at what information we can release without violating privacy laws or freedom of information,’’ he said.