Good Move by RTD

( Friday, 24 August 2007, 06:14 CDT)

DESPITE the possibility of being delayed, passengers welcome the move by the Road Transport Department to run checks on buses and the drivers before leaving the terminals.
Nurse Jamiah Sulaiman, 36, from Bangi, said despite her concern over the Bukit Gantang tragedy recently, it was a relief to see RTD officers conducting the checks.
For salesman Kok Yon Sam, 23, of Cheras, he has no choice but to take an express bus every time he travels to his hometown in Kuala Kangsar as he doesn't own a car.
"It is a good move by RTD as no checks were carried out on any of the drivers or buses that I travelled in before," he said.
Corporate finance manager G. Shanti, 29, said she uses express bus services regularly and have not encountered any problems before.
"I go back to my hometown twice or three times a month. So far, I feel comfortable travelling on the bus line of my choice," she said.
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RTD enforcement director Salim Parlan, who was at the Jalan Duta bus terminal yesterday, stressed on the importance of having a second driver to ensure that the main driver does not suffer from fatigue.
When asked about bus drivers who resort to parking by the roadside instead of entering the respective platforms, Salim warned that "they can't run away" from being checked.
"We have our officers stationed at certain spots on the bus route. The latest addition is at the Gombak toll plaza, so no buses will be spared from inspection," he said.
630 buses checked by RTD and police
THREE passengers were seen waiting outside an express bus at Sungei Besi toll plaza at 7pm yesterday.
The trio were among other passengers told by the Road Transport Department officers that the express bus that they had boarded could not continue its journey as the driver's licence was suspended under the Kejara system.
The passengers had to wait for another bus to transport them.
"Let them wait. It is better to be safe than sorry," said RTD enforcement director Salim Parlan at the Sungei Besi toll plaza (south-bound).
It was day two of the Ops Bersih and a total of 630 buses were checked by the RTD and police.
Salim said 116 summonses were issued within 24 hours, 49 for plying a route without permit, 30 for failure in technical aspect of the vehicle, 17 without the vocational driving licence and 10 without a second driver.
During the operation, 45 lorry drivers were also issued summonses for overloading.
Salim said there were also cases in which the buses were not allowed to continue with the journey because there was no second driver or the drivers were under the influence of drugs.
He said two bus drivers, the main driver and a co-driver, were hauled at the Juru toll plaza in Bukit Mertajam after they tested positive for drugs last night. As a result, the passengers had to wait for two hours for a replacement bus.
"We have to adjust our manpower for this operation. We have to do it because the passengers's safety is our priority," he said.

By Nuradzimmah Daim
(c) 2007 Malay Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Malay Mail