KUALA TERENGGANU: A school bus operator was caught ferrying wedding guests for a second time in six months by the Terengganu Road Transport Department (RTD).
The offence was detected through a joint-operation on tourism vehicles, public service vehicles, tour buses and express buses, conducted in collaboration with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) and the National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada) from 6.30am to 10am today (July 6).
Terengganu state RTD director Zamri Samion said the bus, travelling from Kedah with 40 passengers, was found to be violating permit conditions.
He said that inspection of the vehicle revealed that it was not licensed as a tour bus and was operating without a valid tourism agency licence.
"School buses are only permitted to transport school children within a 30-kilometre radius.
"However, this bus was carrying a large family from Kedah to Terengganu, posing a significant risk as it is not suitable for long-distance travel," he told reporters after concluding the operation in the parking area of the Floating Mosque in Kuala Ibai today (July 6).
Zamri also said that preliminary investigations also showed the bus operator had previously been penalised by Motac for the same offence in January.
"The RTD takes this offence seriously as it involves the safety and lives of passengers," he said.
In the operation, 11 public service vehicles (PSVs) and tour buses were inspected, with four summonses issued for various offences, namely, two for not having a second driver, one for not having a tour guide, and one for misuse of a tourism permit.
Additionally, 12 technical offences were identified, including expired fire extinguishers, lack of a first aid kit, and carrying hazardous accessories.
"From January to May this year, the Terengganu RTD inspected 1,349 public service vehicles, and 44 of them were subjected to action for various offences," he said.