KUALA LUMPUR: The Transport Ministry will review the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the use of power sockets on buses, as no such standard currently exists for these vehicles.
Minister Anthony Loke said an investigation into a recent incident in Penang, where a teenager was fatally electrocuted on a bus, revealed that power sockets were not included in the inspection scope of the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (Puspakom).
"For buses, there is currently no standard. In our investigation, we found that sockets were not part of (Puspakom's) inspection scope, so we will re-evaluate the SOP with the Energy Commission to ensure there is a standard requirement for sockets on buses.
"There is a standard for power sockets on aircraft, which manufacturers are required to follow, so there is no need to worry. The same goes for trains and electric train services (ETS), which have their own socket standards; so there is no need to panic," he said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Yusuf Abd Wahab (GPS-Tanjong Manis) regarding safety standards for power socket usage on aircraft.
In response to a supplementary question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) about immediate measures to ensure buses comply with electrical safety standards, Loke said the ministry is prepared to work with Energy Commission to review and improve existing SOPs.
"The Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) has issued a temporary ban on the use of power sockets on buses until the investigation is completed.
"In the meantime, we have sought advice from the Energy Commission, and once the task force completes its report on this case, we are ready to collaborate with the Energy Commission if improvements are needed," he said.
An 18-year-old teenager died while charging his phone on an express bus at the Penang Sentral bus terminal, Butterworth on Nov 1.
The deceased was identified as Mohamad Nur Asymawi Jasmadi.