PETALING JAYA: Just like taxi drivers have a card at the dahsboard of their vehicle that displays their details, information on express bus drivers should also be made available, say the industry leaders.

This will increase accountability among drivers and weed out bad hats as the industry is plagued by drivers who often jump between companies, said express bus owners.

The card will ensure that passengers and the authorities can verify the credentials of drivers, especially in the event of an accident.

However, the efficacy of such a scheme is still dependent on consistent and active enforcement by the authorities to ensure that companies and drivers abide by the law, they said.

The Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association (PMBOA) has been urging the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP), Road and Transport Department (JPJ) and Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) to make this happen.

A pilot programme for these drivers’ cards had been started by the former Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) in Dec 2017, said PMBOA president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali.

But it was stopped after SPAD was dissolved in 2018 and replaced by Apad, he said.

“We have written to the Transport Minister in April 2023 about this matter again because the card will be similar to the ones found in taxis and e-hailing vehicles.

“When this card is displayed in the bus, passengers will know the credentials of the drivers.

“In the case of an incident, all the details of the drivers are clear to the authorities and passengers.

“The card also ties the driver to the company, promotes accountability, discipline and safety, because right now we have drivers jumping from one company to another,” he said in response to the recent spate of tragic bus accidents.

In a case that dominated headlines, 15 students from a teacher training institute in Perak died after the bus they were travelling in crashed en route to Tanjung Malim from Jerteh, Terengganu.

The JPJ has started an investigation into the owner of the company operating the vehicle involved, including the company that received the leased permit to operate the bus.

The same information including summonses can also be uploaded and streamlined into the JPJ application, which now only shows the driver’s licence and vehicle registration, said Mohamad Ashfar.

Mohamad Ashfar expressed his disappointment that the idea was not taken seriously by relevant agencies despite the matter being raised over the past decade.

The Peninsular Malaysia Tour Bus Operators’ Association also questioned the authorities’ lack of follow-through on the discontinued drivers’ card scheme.

“They had already implemented the drivers’ card but what happened afterwards had to do with enforcement,” said association president Steven Chong of the old scheme.

“More than the card, we need to ensure that drivers attend a safety driving course after they get their licence. At the end of the day, we need to inculcate safe driving behaviour.

“While the drivers’ card can help with the information of the driver and company, we have to promote safe driving and this comes with enforcement,” he said.