Several buses undergo maintenance checks at the Rapid Bus Cheras Selatan Complex Depot. — Bernama photo
SIBU (Nov 16): The federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will engage with the federal Transport Ministry to discuss and implement necessary measures on enhancing tour bus safety, said Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister points out that while the regulation of tour buses does not fall within his ministry’s jurisdiction, repeated traffic accidents involving tourist buses have had a negative impact on the tourism sector.
“For instance, Nankai Electric Railway and JTB have temporarily put two tour packages on hold.
“To prevent setbacks to the gradually recovering tourism industry, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is committed to seeking solutions and will engage with the Ministry of Transport to discuss and implement necessary measures.
“It is vital to address these issues, especially as Nankai Electric Railway plans to promote Malaysian tourism on its trains during the 2025 Osaka Expo and along the routes leading to Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda international airports for the 2026 Malaysia Tourism Year campaign.
“Ensuring that these initiatives proceed without being undermined by concerns over bus safety is essential,” Tiong said in his Facebook post yesterday.
The Bintulu MP and Dudong assemblyman also conveyed apologies for the recent Cameron Highlands tour bus tragedy during the meeting with Nankai Electric Railway on the sidelines of the Tourism Resilience Summit.
While at the Tourism Resilience Summit in Sendai, Japan, Tiong met with Naoto Ashibe, the representative director of Nankai Electric Railway Co Ltd and Enomoto Takashi, managing director of COLOR’S Inc.
“In addition to following up on projects discussed during my visit to Japan in June, I also requested that he arrange a meeting with representatives from JTB Corporation.
“This request is tied to a tragic traffic accident on the North-South Expressway late last month involving a tourist bus that resulted in one fatality and injuries to 12 others. The 11 Japanese tourists who suffered injuries were participants in a tour package jointly offered by Nankai Electric Railway and JTB.
“Beyond personally conveying my apologies to Mr Ashibe, I also requested that he extend our condolences to the families of the affected tourists.
“I assured him that we would forward the police investigation report to both Nankai Electric Railway and JTB, and the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia, and, if necessary, to instruct Tourism Malaysia to assist with any related claims.”
During the meeting, Ashibe and Tiong exchanged views on enhancing bus travel safety.
The proposed measures include mandating two drivers for journeys exceeding eight hours, requiring drivers to undergo alcohol and drug testing before beginning work, implementing video monitoring of drivers on long journeys, imposing limits on driving hours, enforcing the use of seatbelts by passengers, and reducing the height of tour buses.
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