There is a debate brewing over whether the Transport Ministry did the right thing in suspending the operations of the bus company after a teenager was electrocuted while charging his handphone in one of its vehicles.
Harsh, says a bus operators' association, arguing suspension should only come after establishing that the socket in the bus was the cause of the electrocution. Harsh, we agree, but suspension is the right decision because to allow the bus in question or others in the fleet to continue operating would entail a chance of a recurrence.
And recurrence there has been aplenty, not of the electrocution kind, but deaths and injuries of passengers and drivers by accidents, fire and every other permutation possible. The usual suspects are one or a combination of the following: drivers, buses or bus operators. But the buck shouldn't stop there.
Those tasked with ensuring that our public transport is safe must bear the responsibility for its unsafe operations. There have been countless expensive lessons, but few have been learned. Like a television series, incidents involving express or tour buses play out in seasons.
First bus drivers, followed by buses and then bus operators. Just as you thought the series had ended, a new season begins.
Oftentimes, when there is an accident involving an express or tour bus, our authorities begin and end with the drivers. True, many are guilty as charged. But to stop there would be to conclude that accidents begin and end with them. We can't be more wrong.
Certainly, they are the immediate cause, but who put them behind the wheels? Bus operators. Public transport operators have a responsibility to their passengers and other road users. This means recruiting qualified drivers with the right attitude.
Many of our bus drivers fall short in terms of qualifications, right attitude or safety consciousness as accident after accident reveals. It is not uncommon to find drivers falling asleep at the wheels due to lack of sleep. This is why operators are required to have a co-driver, but how many do? Another is the use of handphones while driving.
Speeding is yet another. When 90kph is the limit for the buses, 110kph to 120kph have been recorded by speed trackers. Cameras can track the drivers 24/7, but how many have them? Operators put the errant drivers behind the wheels and they must take responsibility for the accidents that occur.
Operators often complain that such things come with additional costs that erode the already declining profits. We know of one company that uses such cameras. We see no reason why others can't.
Buses, too, need to be monitored to see if they are roadworthy. This, too, is the operators' job. Errant drivers at the wheels of poorly maintained buses are disasters sure to happen. But the anger of the passengers and other concerned Malaysians is not just directed at the three usual suspects.
The authorities, too, have come in for much blame. There have been task forces and committees set up after this or that incident involving buses, but to what end, they ask. It's not that no actions have been taken, but they are not made known to the people.
It is time for the authorities to be more transparent. After all, transparency is the beginning of accountability.