MALAYSIAN express bus passengers put their lives in the hands of their drivers the moment they board, and most expect that trust to be honoured for the entire journey.
But barely a week after a video of a bus driver allowing a woman to sit on his lap went viral, another clip has emerged showing yet another express bus driver behaving dangerously behind the wheel.
Was an express bus driver really caught on camera driving recklessly on the North-South Expressway?
Verdict:
TRUE
An express bus driver was caught on video driving in an unsafe manner on the North-South Expressway while operating a coach believed to be travelling from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan in Kuala Lumpur towards Johor Baru, with the footage going viral on social media on April 16.
Alor Gajah OCPD Supt Ahmad Abu Bakar said the one-minute-20-second video, believed to have been recorded by a passenger, showed the driver leaning back in his seat and steering the moving bus with only one hand during nighttime.
"Such behaviour poses a serious risk to public safety and will not be tolerated," he said in a statement on Thursday (April 16).
The incident is believed to have occurred near KM196.1 along the North-South Expressway southbound, though this remains under further investigation.
Supt Ahmad said initial investigations found the video began circulating at around 1.05pm on April 16 via WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
He said the act of leaning back while steering with one hand could compromise vehicle control, reduce driver focus and endanger both passengers and other road users.
The case is being investigated under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, and police are seeking the cooperation of the driver to come forward immediately to the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division at the Alor Gajah police headquarters.
Those with information on the incident are urged to contact investigating officer Inspector Nurul Salina Rosli at 011-25435507 or visit the nearest police station.
The incident comes after a 36-year-old former bus driver was remanded for four days on Thursday (April 16) for allowing a woman to sit on his lap while driving.
The Jasin Magistrate Court granted a similar four-day remand order for the 21-year-old woman involved, who works as a ticket counter clerk at another bus company and told investigators she had known the driver for about five months.
That incident is also being investigated under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and is believed to have occurred at around 7.30pm on April 12 near the entrance of the Bemban Rest and Recreational area southbound.
