Not much

Not a day goes by without some bus accident on the roads of Malaysia now. Pretty strange really. Ever since the bus flipover by a Super Express bus, every other day seems to carry the headlines of yet another bus accident involving a blacklisted bus driver.

Having travelled on buses from Sitiawan to KL for nearly 2 years on a regular basis, it feels weird to be doubting the service now. But conversely, having a friend die due to a bus accident a few years ago, doubting bus services seems only natural, especially given the unusually large number of mishaps, like this, and this.

I remember when I used to take the bus from Pudu station in KL. Often driving at night, it was a nice to feel the driver was doing everything he could to reach his destination on time. I also recall countless occasions while driving along the North-South highway and having been overtaken by express buses going in the excess of 120km per hour. To be fair, this is not only confined to buses but also long trailers and lorries.

Arguments, no doubt, about bus drivers having to earn their keep, that they know their stuff and that we should trust them where driving vehicles is concerned. And this is probably true for some of the drivers, but how many aging nuts with probable aspirations of racing remain plying the roads; now that is the question.

The other day, a column in the Star spoke of how reluctant a mother was to let her daughter board a bus in light of the past weeks. Before long, and if the rot is not contained, i fear that buses will soon be running with half loads or none at all.