Duty of care to passengers
UNIVERSITY Student in his letter “Calling for more professional bus service” ( The Star, May 7) highlighted the shortcomings of the bus system in Johor Baru, the second largest city in Malaysia. Similarly, I would like to highlight the many improvements that could be undertaken for the Malaysia-Singapore cross-border express bus service and CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) infrastructure at the Second Link. This responsibility lies with both the private cross-border express bus service operators and the authorities.
As a Malaysian working in Singapore, I make regular return trips between the city state and Melaka. I am certain regular users of the cross-border express bus service are familiar with the observations I’m about to make. However, what compelled me to write (and figuratively break the camel’s back) was an incident last Sunday which ended my patient tolerance of bad service by the express bus operators who seem to be taking the well-being and safety of their passengers for granted.
It is an open secret (although I am not sure it’s legal) that, perhaps for economic (read profit) reasons, cross-border express bus operators often herd passengers from one or more partially-filled buses into a single bus after they clear Malaysia or Singapore immigration and customs. Bus changes also bring up the pertinent problem of some passengers not getting the seat which they specifically selected and paid for due to double booking.
The change of buses could happen both ways of the cross-border journey. Passengers are rarely informed of the registration number of the subsequent bus to board when we disembark from the preceding bus. We are usually simply told to look out for a bus with similar branding or given assurance that a bus company representative would meet us at the other side, which mostly ends up being untrue.
Last Sunday was no different. Upon arriving at the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ complex prior to the Second Link, the bus driver nonchalantly told us that his duty ended there and that we were to get on a different bus for the onward journey into Singapore.
Some passengers, including a number of foreign tourists, asked for details of the other bus but the driver could only vaguely tell us that it would look like the one we were on. He was as clueless as us so we went on our way simply hoping for the best.
After completing the formalities, there was no bus company representative to assure or guide us. We waited for at least 15 minutes, causing a lot of anxiety and anger for some, especially the foreign tourists, before a bus which we guessed was the right one arrived. I observed an elderly couple walking from one end of the parking area to the other in the hot day to search for a bus that was “similar in design” but it was an exercise in futility. Bear in mind we were in no man’s land as we had not yet entered Singapore but had already formally left Malaysia.
As mentioned earlier, the design and planning of the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ complex could have prioritised passenger safety and comfort. For one, there is only one covered walkway and a handful of proper bus bays for passengers to safely locate and reboard their buses. As a result, bus drivers would park and wait at any available space they can find, forcing passengers of all ages to wander in between the many haphazardly parked vehicles (with engines running and spewing gas) in search of their respective bus. As there is no roof and very limited lighting, searching for the bus could take a while in scorching heat or heavy rain, and becomes even more dangerous at night with only the dim perimeter lighting available.
Express bus operators must enforce a policy of putting passenger safety as their utmost concern, both in philosophy and in practice, at every step of the paid journey. It must be ingrained among the bus drivers (some are called captains) that they have a duty of care towards every passenger. It is irresponsible and unreasonable for the operators to allow the drivers to drop off passengers without fully knowing the details of the next bus if a change is required.
Express bus operators should also consider assigning a representative to meet and guide passengers to their new bus.
The facility planners, architects and authorities must also have the people’s safety, well-being and convenience as their top priority. Bus passengers come in all ages and sizes – young, old, fit and even infirm – and most carry bulky baggage. As such, they should not be forced to wander in between smelly buses in the rain or sun or poor lighting in search of the bus they need to board.
Furthermore, the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ complex is woefully inadequate to handle the volume of bus passengers during peak periods. Immigration and customs queues occasionally spill onto the main road due to the narrow corridors, leaving people exposed to the elements. The floors are missing tiles and faded and peeling notices are visible everywhere; and these are only a few of the many unflattering sights one can see there. You won’t be wrong to call it dilapidated. The other CIQ complex across the Second Link is a far cry from this one. There, bus passengers enter an air-conditioned, cavernous hall with a shiny tiled floor and, upon exiting, find themselves in a covered bus park with an electronic display board showing the registration number of buses parked at particular bays.
I hope the issues highlighted, particularly safety and the continuity of duty of care by the express bus operators when passengers have to change buses, are addressed immediately. Express bus operators and the authorities cannot say they do not have blood in their hands if anything untoward happens to the passengers.