KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) will engage with the Transport Ministry (MOT), to discuss and implement necessary measures to ensure the safety of tour buses, said its minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
He said that while the regulation of tour buses falls outside Motac's jurisdiction, the recurring traffic accidents involving these buses have adversely impacted the tourism sector.
Citing a recent incident, Tiong noted that two Japanese tourism-related agencies - Nankai Electric Railway and JTB Corporation - had temporarily suspended two tour packages, after participants in their programmes were involved in a tragic bus accident in Taiping, Perak, last month.
"It is crucial to resolve these safety issues, especially as Nankai Electric Railway plans to promote Malaysian tourism on its trains during the upcoming #2025OsakaExpo, and along routes to Tokyo's Narita and Haneda International Airports, for the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.
"Ensuring the success of these initiatives, without being overshadowed by concerns over bus safety, is essential.
"To safeguard the recovering tourism industry, MOTAC remains committed to finding solutions," he wrote on his Facebook page, today.
Tiong said he had met with Naoto Ashibe, the Representative Director of Nankai Electric Railway Co, to personally express his apologies for the recent bus accident, during his visit to the Tourism Resilience Summit in Sendai, Japan.
In the meeting, Tiong requested Ashibe to extend condolences to the affected tourists, and assured him that Tourism Malaysia would assist with any necessary claims following the conclusion of the police investigation into the incident.
Both Tiong and Ashibe discussed strategies to enhance bus travel safety, proposing measures such as requiring two drivers for trips exceeding eight hours, conducting alcohol and drug testing for drivers before shifts, and implementing video monitoring for long-distance routes.
They also suggested limiting driving hours, enforcing seatbelt use among passengers, and reducing the height of tour buses to improve safety standards.
It was reported that a 73-year-old Japanese woman had succumbed to her injuries, after the tour bus she was in collided with a lorry at KM230 of the North-South Expressway southbound on Oct 25.
The accident left 13 individuals injured, including 11 Japanese tourists, aged between 58 and 80, while they were travelling from Penang to Cameron Highlands.
– Bernama