Behind Bus Accidents In Malaysia: Should You Take An Express Bus? | Talking Point | Full Episode 

as a Malaysian, I found this extremely informative and useful. I think it is good that CNA is holding these bus operators accountable especially where Malaysia does not.

First incident is really quite a sad one. The 17-year old girl that passed away was a student from my JC but local media referred to her as a tourist. 15 January (Monday) morning, principal called the whole school to the hall where he announced her passing. Pin-drop silence after that was very deafening. Some of my friends who knew her took some time to process. Rest in peace.

I think the key difference that the uncle in the beginning failed to point out between driving in the day and night is that at night, visibility is lower and fewer vehicles on the road means a sudden appearance of another vehicle could catch the driver off guard if they're complacent or sleepy. even if the day driver is equally sleepy, these other factors would contribute to greater risk in riding a night coach as opposed to an early morning or day one

Actually when you take a bus to Msia if you are not pressed for time you should never buy a 2 way ticket always buy a 1 way ticket then when you reached your destination in Msia go to bus terminal there and immediately book for yourself another 1 way ticket back to SG, it's the same price but you pay in Ringgit - You're Welcome. 😋

It is not just the drivers who have enough sleep. Other drivers on the road are also the contribution points as well.

Good job very informative....after this CNA should cover a story on singaporean drivings in Malaysia.

Few reasons for this : 1. Bus companies not making a lot of profit, so they squeeze their resources as much as possible with the little men and buses they have. Why even bother fixing those seats? As long can sit down , can what. 2. Weak enforcement.....without it, who cares about what the 90kmh limit is. What the hell is seat belt?! 3. Relative to no.1, faster you finish job, faster you get more money. Companies wanna push for this. Of course......go for the more established ones only. Aeroline, Solitaire Transtar , First Coach and Super Nice only soo far make it into the books. Full stop.

Actually it's very true. When you drive below 100kmh, you tend to be more sleepy than you drive 120 or 140 kmh.

I have been taking overnight express buses from SG to KL for the past 11 years. Ultimately, the most important safety factor is you have to choose a bus company that hires skilled drivers. With this, even if the express bus is involved in an accident, it will only be a minor accident, as the skilled drivers know how to navigate the bus to minimise damage and injury should there be any unexpected change in the road conditions. For the past 11 years, I only take buses from this particular bus company. The drivers hired by this bus company is skilled and they know the Malaysian roads and road conditions very well, and they are able to respond quickly and correctly to the changing road conditions. As I do take express buses to KL often, I do look out for express bus accident news, and I keep track of which bus company is involved in the accident. I have been doing this for the past 11 years. Till date, the bus company which I use is involved in a few minor accidents over the past 11 years, with 0 casualty in all accidents. I am a Singaporean, and this is my experience with the Express Buses from SG to KL.

One probable factor that could play a hand in the bus service in the next few years could be the expressway itself...since due to a massive increase of vehicles, there are stretches of the highway that are in definitely could turn into a traffic jam even on a normal weekend(Skudai-Sedenak, Simpang Ampat-Nilai, and if you travelled beyond KL, Gombak-Karak, Tapah-Ipoh, Ipoh-Kuala Kangsar, Taiping-Juru). For the Skudai-Sedenak and Gombak-Karak stretches in particular, I heard that they would start construction works on widening the expressway by the end of the year, so that could also throw a wrench on some plans... One probable wild-card in this is the extension of electric train services (not HSR) to JB Sentral, which with the potential travel time between KL to JB being reduced to 4 hours (so realistically SG to KL could be done in 6 hours) would be a much more reliable alternative to buses...however, if my experience of taking the service from KL to Penang and recent news is anything to go by, you need to buy the ticket at least a week before the journey, since there are very limited amount of service and seats...

Tks CNA Insider & Diana, this is a really good show. Esp with my recent encounter with express bus to KL. Although I was angry with the treatment we received, but on the other hand, I do empathise with the plight of these drivers.

Well done CNA for exposing these issues! It is always profit vs costs at the expense of safety for these businesses

Wow!! I always worried about this, thanks CNA for investigating!

Busses should play safety procedures videos like aircraft. Play it repeatedly at every stop

Good job CNA🎉 We learnt so much now!

Thank you, CNA / Diana for producing so many relevant investigative documentaries. Bravo!

so far I've only experienced taking Aeroline to Singapore and back. Their drivers usually obey the speed limit (you can feel its not very fast), and they always indicate before changing lanes based on my observation whenever I'm sat near the driver

good job. we need more investigative documentary like this

Diana, you may not drive alot thats why you dont know. i am not a "professional driver" like Krish but I do drive from SGKL once in a while. what he said made sense. logically you might think slower = safer but try driving long distance, you will notice driving slower will make you much more sleeper = increases risk of accident.

Good documentary. Safety is paramount!

First thing to do is limit their maximum speed capability of the buses on the highways. This will keep the buses under control in most conditions and also keep the heat in the mechanical components lower to prevent fires. Have the vehicles pre checked before every trip.

350 km is about Surabaya-Yogyakarta trip. Like there, many bus drive around 100-120 kmph. But even in economy class, never a bus driven by only one driver

I am from MY. Nothing done since the last 30yrs.. ppl will keep on unliving due to these accidents

I resonate with the driver, when driving below 90km/hr for long distance, you have higher tendency to be sleepy ; most cars drive at 120km/hr , a mere 10km/hr over the limit but it felt the most optimal speed for long distance drive, too slow you become sleepy/ tired easier and it becomes inefficient. The entire journey is 360Km, assuming you drive 90km/hr = 4 hours , 2 toilet breaks of 20min each +40min ; SG-JB custom +40min = 5 hours 20 minutes. Anw for most that can afford, most prefer flights , it is safer and you get stuck in the same space for much lesser hours.

Excellent investigative reporting.

This is very informative for us who wants to take bus to malaysia

Appreciate what the airline stewardesses do every single time before a flight starts -- pointing everyone to know where the emergency exits are, who can sit near the exits to open those exit doors, etc. Too bad the bus company didn't have an emergency exit protocol to go over with the passengers like the airlines do!

I think this is one of the reasons why the Malaysian government doesn't want to invest in a high-speed train system. The bus operators and highway toll businesses would go kaput.

OMG.... like really crazy. Me and my wife decided to travel by bus from KL to Kuala Besut for our Perhentian trip overnight thru a 2 way kampung road all the way and reached by morning. The whole trip was so scary, as we were seated front of the bus. I couldn't sleep the whole night as it was travelling at lightning speed. Luckily, we made it there safely. We vowed not to travel by bus anymore! BTW, lovely host.

I learn a lot just by watching CNA Insider Talking Point. Mr Steven Chia and Ms Diana Ser are great presenters.

Good Report‼👍👍

The issue has been around for a long time, yet little rectification. Thanks to Diana Ser (Amazing presenter, as always) to put together this episode meticulously! 👍👍👍👏👏👏

Great programme Diana Ser thank you. Been using Aeroline from KL for many years now & they're very good. Wouldn't touch any of the cheaper Express Bus services with a bargepole my safety is worth way more than saving a few RM. Express Bus safety is a known issue for many years due to weak / non-existent regulatory enforcement; sadly this isn't likely to change any time soon. Was Anthony Loke approached for involvement in the programme? If not you should consider a follow up & involve him.

We would definitely consider Super Nice express bus to Peninsula M'sia in future❤❤❤

13:56 the bus spinning like Beyblade. LOOLOLOL

you should try Indonesian buses, where safety is optional🤣

i took the overnight express bus on the return leg: KL - SIN 2 months ago. The fella was speedin' like nobody business. This made me sure never to take overnight bus again, even if the price is 50% cheaper. I just can't risk it

It's has been 8 years for me to take the night bus travel from Singapore to Penang back and forth. Lucky me😊

On my way to SG from JB checkpoint, I noticed every bus driver was on there phone either on FB, video call or whatsapp whilst behind the steering wheel. Extremely dangerous. SG transport authority should do some thing.

How appropriate with this new episode, after the tampines accident this morning...

22:25 If driver overspeeding or about to sleep we will call the driver. Hope its by handsfree phone...

Oh my i remember my first ride on these buses from KL to SG border. It went fine and my seat was spacious and could be inclined all the way back so I could be in lying position sort of. The blanket was super nice and comfy.

Super Nice is getting more passengers after this show

LPMS bus services by far one of the best. Steady drivers who maintain a consistent speed and not rushing.

As a Malaysian who used to travel between SG and here, I have only used First Coach and Aeroline. Never considered other express buses because of my own experience with this buses at home, reckless driving, speeding, smoking while driving, completely irresponsible with no regards for the lives they have at hand. Also those other buses are usually badly maintained, the seats smell like cigarette smoke or are rather smelly, sometimes quite dirty too. I also don't think Krish is local (neither from SG or MY) his accent is so strange.

You should have interviewed the Minister of Transport.

when i travel in Express Bus..i always chose the very front seat either at exit door or just behing the driver. by doing so i can keep my eye on the road for potential hazard afar and alert the driver in advance if needed. and sometime i do chat with driver and the co-driver but not all of them would like to chat while driving as they said sometime it could be a distraction. all my travel was at night and for some reason i couldnt sleep like everyone else. even though the cabin was so quiet from external noise.

Thanks for your documentary. Now I will choose supernice bus for my next journey

"Why do the accidents happen more frequently at night?" What a brilliant question. Hmm...let me think... That's a real hard one. Glad to see a reporter asking the real questions. Next, ask some experts why its dark at night and light during the day. Or why its wetter in the rain and dryer in the sun.

As a Malaysian who travelled to and from Singapore for years, I can confirm that safety measures are just ignored. 😢😮😢😮

Great piece of investigative reportting. Really the authorities *must* be strict with these bus operators. Overnight travel will always appeal to budget travellers because they save on hotel accommodation. But in the long run Singapore-KL needs that much discussed high-speed rail line ! Such a pity Singapore lifted the rail track and has closed its train terminus ... yes it was the old train line but at least customers had a surface alternative.

I’m a huge fan of CNA investigative programs! I’m taking mother for holiday to M’sia and Singapore in July/August. After watching this program I think I will hire a rental car for the most part as it offer more flexibility for us to ‘jalan jalan cari makan’. When we stay in JB however we can catch public transport to Woodlawn and then use MRT for day trip/s in Singapore. (We are travelling from Australia. I was born in Singapore and my mother is Nyonya ex malacca. We can utilise family home in Bukit Cina for part of our trip)

You can all the precautions in the world but you can’t control other vehicles on the road, especially at late nights.

Best is depart early morning, drive through the morning, and arrive in KL by lunch

Good reporting. Awesome job CNA 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Does anyone know the tracker app used in this video 07:34 , seems like pretty good app. I want to download for myself.

I am not a Malaysian, however, when I lived and traveled twice from KL to Terengganu (in 2000), I missed my drop point as it was between the journeys. Though I had spoken to the driver with broken Malay and his broken English. The drivers were changed during the trip and I ended up in Terengganu, after reaching the wrong destination I had to take the same bus later in the day from Terrenganu and KL and they dropped me where I should. I don't regret the trip, the scenery was so beautiful, I was sitting in the front close to the driver. Driving alone is monotonous and boring if drivers have to drive alone. As the documentary notes, at least a co-driver would help prevent the accidents. It is worth investing a little bit more towards drivers, their training, etc than the gadgets/devices.

super nice one if the worst express bus I had taken

Oh god, I am planning to ride a bus from KL to SG this June and somehow, algorithm showed me this video.

the man speaks well...

It would be interesting CNA interview our MOT , Mr Anthony Loke and post in RU-vid.

Long distance provincial buses here in the Philippines are relatively safe for example from Manila to Baguio City the Summer Capital is 4-5 hours non stop as buses have a speed limiter installed in their fleet.

Very useful analyse by CNA team. When my first trip to Malaysia in night time the bus driver sleepy and stab behind the lorry. I’m one of the victim of it. Too dangerous mode of transportation.

Alternatively, have driverless trains that plough to and fro these more popular destinations. I get the infrastructure cost but in the long run, people have the flexibility and not confined to a certain departure timing. And also itll be more comfortable for passengers, and they can rest easy knowing that their lives doesnt depend on the drivers level of experience or lack of rest.

It would be nice and thoughtful when u reach ur location u could give a tip to the bus drivers 👍🙏🏻Its tough work not anyone can drive that long hours respect to all the malaysia bus drivers out there drive safe and god blessed them❤️❤️❤️

Does anyone know what app is Diana using to check/record the speed?

That operator in the video is StarMart. Personally I choose them because they ignore the speed limit and gets me to my destination faster than a plane (including check-in time and the time between my destination and airport), but I exclusively take them in the day, never at night.

alibaba, i took super nice last year and it was speeding like no tomorrow for such a long time to make up the delay earlier that morning. 110kmh and above from ipoh to penang.

CNA asked a very good question. In the accident where the bus caught fire after collided with a motorbike and they were the driver and two crews. Surely the crews are trained on safety protocols. The issues we are dealing here is merely people's complacency. If the crews have been trained, we're they train and retrained periodically. The issues of underpaid drivers is a different matters. Safety issues and safety training would be more effective if there were sub-milinary messages covering workplace especially before the bus crews board the bus.

If can afford, take plane. If cannot afford, take bus. 😢😢

I used to e day time traveller but switched on to night due to the congestion at the checkpoints and the jams especially after Malacca to KL. Understandably the overnight travel is more popular as it is more quiet as almost all the passengers are sleeping. Most passengers will sleep after we cleared the checkpoints and with one or two toilet breaks, we wake up when the bus reached the terminal. Until the day when the HSR becomes a reality, the best way travelling to Malaysia is by the express bus. The choice is yours to purchase insurance or other extras. Thank you CNA for such an informative programme. Perhaps CNA could take this programme one level up by dubbing it to The more common languages in Malaysia and help create awareness among the express bus operators and the millions of passengers alike.😊😊

I think there should be both government looking into this issue. Something similar happened to me when I visited Malaysia and Singapore a decade ago. I thought it was a one off. Driver was looking at passengers through the mirror (probably observing how many are awake) and then eating something while driving. After an hour or so, the bus tyre got off and fell down the road and the bus luckily stopped after some struggle. It could have been worse!! We waited near the hills and by the road. Another bus came after 2 hours and took us further. It was day time travel but the bus was not in good condition (the one in the video at the beginning seems very new).

This clearly shows that we need to improve self driving capabilities of our vehicles. It will certainly improve the quality of life of the drivers. Can you imagine using autopilot mode like in a plane but a bus? Itll be so handy.

Singapore large and medium size vehicles must have a fleet management system to monitor the vehicle speed/location and the driver physical condition if the authority is serious to reduce accident and improve the road safety. Mandate safety records which is easily access to general public. Install road humps and speed camera have less impact on safety and just a cat and mouse game

This is an interesting investigation report on public transport services that every nation should pay attention to. In Indonesia, massive reform has been done to train services because state owns the train company. However, the express intercity buses are mostly operated by private entities that state cannot control too much. The road safety regulation and procedure are exist, however in practice, not all private entities apply them as on standard. Issues such as underpaid salary or per paid trip such is mentioned in the video also exist in Indonesia which make the strucural reform in the public bus transport much more difficult.

Just pray safe when taking the bus. There was once i took a reputable bus from larkin to kl. Bus depart 12am, reach kl 3am. No toilet break, as everyone asleep.

with all those highways in peninsular Malaysia, night buses arent that necessary. It is traveller who chooses to maximise their stays and saves up from hotel who are often falling into prey of night buses. Even if you think you are able to save hotel cost, you might not feel refreshed after night buses sleepover. Not worth your time and money. If you really want to maximise your time, take morning flight instead.

Yes, i also had an accident experience with a night bus that i took in Malaysia...definitely night journeys are more dangerous

I went from Golden Mile Complex to Genting in June 2023 without any accident.

Hmmm i never knew there was an emergency exit! Good to know....

The thing is, you have cheap bus fares and expensive bus fares. Technically it's also the passengers' responsibility to be alert when taking a cheap bus at night. To be expecting enforced safety measures at cheap prices is ludicrous. But I suppose one way to keep in check is to have an aggregation of bus services and let the passengers be informed of the risks vs cost of different price points.

The most logical thing that people say is to book the more expensive option. The more expensive ticket might meant that the driver is paid more or they have 2 driver taking turns. You can tell that from how the driver behaves, drives and talks.

Traffic in Malaysia is crazy and driving can be very dangerous. A driver who is experienced and highly alert is required. And especially someone who cares for the safety of the passengers!

This is also the risk of Malaysian road where we have long haul highways (not like singapore). This tends to pose risk from inpatient driver, reckless bus driver, and motorcycle. High speed and sudden jam adds to the equation. Sometimes it the bus driver, they tend to drive fast and swerve left and right to either gain time or just to be faster. They tend to stick very close to the vehicle in front to pressure them to "get out of the way" This is also the same for other road driver, where the swerve in front of busses, driving dangerously, etc. So it's really both way but unfortunately that is the mindset of Malaysian Driver (including Singapore Driver in Malaysia which speeds like crazy). It's a very impatient environment with people tailgating you as much as possible. And a bit of over confidence.

Honestly, i have experienced tiredness from travelling at the speed limit. Like suddenly i would feel sleepy but when i do speed, i felt more awake.

Okay, next time I suggest you cover story about Singaporean driver habit in Malaysia. Must be nice topic.

Nak pergi ke bandar2 di pantai barat dn pantai Timur Semenanjung, sy lbh suka naik KTMB ETS dan KTMB Intercity Train utk keselesaan dn keselamatan sendiri dn ahli keluarga. Sbb utk perjalanan jauh sy lbh suka tdk guna kereta pribadi bila pergi ke JB, Penang, Alor Star, Kota Bharu, etc. Use KTMB Trains to go anywhere more safety n comfortable.

this might not be related much but such accidents happened a lot in VietNam where im from too if I read the news every week id see an article mentioned about express bus accident involved injury or death I feel my country doesnt take safety measures or considerations seriously, people often prioritised money over others another big scary thingthat myself had experienced also was Bus drivers (or truck drivers) often use drugs like Meth to keep them active/awake one time I went on a night ride to save time, all the other passengers were deep asleep, I was awake and they had 1 driver no backup or helper with the ride. I noticed very off behaviors from the driver, he was shaking his legs fast and nonstop, no seat belt, using his phone looking at it while driving high speed on highway, almost hit a truck crossing the road (truck was very slow and had lights on asking to wait) but the driver just kept honking at the truck and drove fast towards it, his hands kept shaking legs stretching tried to move all parts of his body WHILE DRIVING, he kept stopping for smoke breaks every 30' or so (normally driver stop smoke break during toilet breaks but this guy he pulled over often just to smoke and asked me if I want to smoke also), his mouth was grinding hard, all of the behaviors that indicated someone being influenced on hard drugs ? and speeding was insane, the ride would take 5hours to get there but he made it 3hours and was proud bragging off to his mates on fone how fast he went (I even heard his mate shouting "wow 3hrs ride youre there already?that's crazy fast") I was so scared for during the ride,so when he stopped for smoke break I tried waking up the other passengers to confront about how scary the driver seem off,but to my luck I talked to one of their operator staff was on the ride too,so later for toilet break that person talked to him how I complained hes a bad driver and drove fast,afterwards the driver would talked to me more asking in passive aggressive tones like am I not driving good enough here someone had to complain, he kept looking at me (my seat was right next to the driver so I witnessed everything and felt the pressures the driver gave afterwards) I can assure you it was a very scary moment I thought I might die and my last ride there if something happened and in vietnam where most things arent taken seriously like Malaysia and Singapore does so traffic accidents numbers are very high I wish countries that has express bus would make efforts to keep lives safe more and more awareness spread out for passengers to be cautious about!

Im a malaysian. I always take bus to SG. Safe and sound. And saves so much than flight.

can someone pls tell CNA to change the opening screen... its super yesteryear...

usually condition for BCs are worst during long weekends (PH) in malaysia delay big time due to traffic congestion, which will kill their rest time also, hard to find BCs, many jumped to SG

I regularly take the bus from Johor to KL. The driver is busy taking on his mobile and smoking all the way.

Yeah, i always going to kl from jb, mostly of the busses don't have seat belt and and emergency exit???

One cheap solution, conduct a safety briefing before the bus journey starts, just like boarding an airplane. At least the passengers knows there is a emergency exit, at the back and also at the ROOF of the bus.

Years ago during my holiday, i was told by an Italian who the way Italian government check for speed limit on toll road is the time travel between the starting toll compare it to the exit toll. If the time is bellow the established range, the driver gets a ticket. Maybe some drivers are willing to pay fine? But its a great strategy, will Malaysia implement such simple tools? The most pleasant long distance bus journey for me is in Turkey. The bus from Istanbul to the town near ancient Troy had to get into a ferry 😊 A 6 hour journey the Turkish Rivera Port to Pamukkali in July 2019, we get an ice cream cup 😍 Longer journey serves free snacks, free coffee/ tea twice, they push a small 🛒 cart like in a flight. Men and women are always seated separately. I enjoy the bus journey ☺️ even the 12 hours ride from Cappadocia to Istanbul! The Peru long distance bus are ok, no free snacks or drinks, but there's a curtain between each seat 💺 💺. The train tickets are double compared to buses.

i'm curious what app she use to track speed and location

I didn't see emergency glass breaker hammers mentioned. There's at least 4 on the bus in the video. Were there none on the bus with the accident? I didn't seem to see any warning on the windows to the effect of "in case of emergency use hammer to break glass". Personally, I would have broken the windows to exit the bus in case of a fire, even if it is a pretty high drop.

Safety procedures and protocols and drills can only do so much. When an actual situation or incident happens human factor/reaction cannot be predicted no matter how much training one has received.

Saya pilih keretapi lagi dari bas dan bila samoai destinasinya hanya call grab untuk ke destinasi sebenar.kalau bas pun perkara yang sama perlu dilakukan tetapi lebih selamat selesa dengan keretapi kerana dilandasanya tampa ada gangguan kenderaan lain yang boleh sebabkan kemalangan lebih berat..

i myself travel between the 2 cities a lot and have never taken an overnight bus except once. always take the morning or afternoon departures, dont take the evening ones too. Have tried different operators like transtar, cityline etc and all the drivers were solid and didnt speed. Also i find that taking a double deck bus is harder to speed. Last month took causeway link from JB larkin to KL, and despite the bus keeping to speed limit, it was overtaken by la holidays, kkkl, delima, mayang sari single deckers and starmart express double deckers. I wonder if causeway link had speed limiters installed.