KUALA LUMPUR: A lorry driver who used his vehicle to stop a runaway express bus near the Menora Tunnel in Perak has been honoured for saving 21 passengers.
Wong Tuck Meng, 40, received a special certificate of appreciation and RM10,000 from the government at a ceremony in Parliament on Tuesday (June 23).
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the award, drawn from the Road Safety Council fund, recognised Wong's quick thinking during the June 15 incident.
"Because of the quick action of one driver, a hero who acted even though it could have put his own life at risk, a tragic accident was avoided, and many lives were saved," Loke said at the ceremony.
He said the bus, which was travelling from Kedah to Kuala Lumpur, had developed a technical fault and lost control completely as it came down a hill near the tunnel.
Loke said Wong stayed calm and let the bus latch onto his lorry to slow its momentum after it slammed into the back of his vehicle.
"He not only slowed it down but managed to bring the bus to a stop without it veering off by steering his lorry towards the guard rail as they came down the hill," he said.
Wong said his only thought at the time was to prevent a fatal crash and to give the vehicles ahead enough time to get clear.
“The bus was still some distance back, so I had time to sound my horn and give the cars in front a chance to get away," he said.
Earlier, the Dewan Rakyat, chaired by Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Ramli Mohd Nor, recorded its appreciation and thanks to Wong for his bravery after Loke tabled the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026 for its second reading.
A video of the rescue had earlier gone viral on social media, where Wong was seen using his lorry as a buffer against a bus that has lost control near Menora Tunnel in Perak, which is also known as one of the most accident-prone stretches in the country.
Wong had honked continuously to warn traffic ahead while his lorry shielded those in front of him from the bus.
