MIDNIGHT BUS EXPRESS STILL NEEDED
TAWAU:
The proposal to end midnight express bus service is not suitable for implementation in Sabah currently, Sabah Express Bus Operators Council (SEBOC) president Donald Hanafi said yesterday.
The reason, he said, was that roads linking the east coast and west coast of the state were not expressways like in the peninsula.
“I’m for the proposal’s implementation in the peninsula to reduce fatal accidents on expressways.
However, the roads here (Sabah) are not so good. They are not expressways where express buses can be driven fast.
“Further more, there is almost no fatal accidents involving express buses in Sabah. What we have are just minor accidents. That too, was because another vehicle rammed into the bus,” he told Bernama here.
Donald said this in response to a statement by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat that the Transport Ministry was studying a proposal to end express bus service at midnight to avoid the loss of many lives on the road.
Ong said that the proposal by the Road Safety Department (JKJR) and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) was made as drivers were usually tired at night despite having adequate rest.
Donald said the proposal was also not suitable for Sabah because more than 80 per cent of express buses plying between the east coast and west coast were night service with departures at 7pm to 8pm.
— Bernama
