Driver on his handphone was using his elbows

PETALING JAYA: From driving without a licence to using a handphone while on the road, Malaysia has seen it all with rogue bus drivers.

Among such cases reported last year was when a 22-year-old man was found to be ferrying 40 construction workers in a tour bus despite only having a motorcycle licence during an operation by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) in Kajang, Selangor, on Nov 8.

On Nov 14, a 48-year-old bus driver, who did not renew his licence for 12 years, was caught in a joint operation between the JPJ, the Penang police’s traffic investigation and enforcement division and the National Anti-Drug Agency.

On Sept 19, a 63-year-old bus driver and two passengers died after the double-decker express bus they were traveling in skidded to the road shoulder at KM81 of Jalan Lipis-Merapoh near Kampung Kubang Rusa in Lipis, Pahang.

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On July 10, a 33-year-old tour bus driver and a 42-year-old Indonesian passenger died after the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pillar at KM285.3 of the North-South Expressway.

On May 20, two people were killed after the tour bus they were traveling in crashed on the East Coast Highway 2 (LPT 2) near Ajil, Bukit Besi, Terengganu, when the bus, driven by a 26-year-old, veered into the opposite lane.

On May 12, an express bus crashed into 12 other vehicles at KM256.8 of the North-South Expressway and a day later, an express bus collided with a lorry at KM257.8 of the NSE on May 13.

Both bus operators had their licences suspended by the Transport Ministry on June 12.

On April 2, JPJ director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim said a bus driver was taken to task for using a handphone while driving from Penang to Ipoh.

A 20-second video of him doing that went viral on social media. The driver, who had 13 previous traffic offences, was using his elbows – not his hands – to steer the wheel.