By Mavis Toh

Every month, express bus operator Sebastian Yap forks out $8,000 more than most of his industry counterparts, just to keep his drivers in check and his passengers safe.

The director of Transtar Travel owns 50 buses, driven by 120 drivers in Singapore and Malaysia daily.

If detected driving dangerously, the driver immediately gets a call. The system costs $8,000 to maintain monthly.

"With this technology, we can implement proper standards and make sure our passengers are safe," said Mr Yap. On average, between 300 and 350 passengers take his buses daily.

The issue of the safety of buses plying the Singapore-Malaysia route resurfaced in newspaper headlines recently.

Last week, 10 people were killed and 18 injured when a Singapore- bound bus travelling from Ipoh crashed into a tree along Malaysia's North-South Expressway. A 26-year-old Singapore permanent resident was killed.

At the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), the number of complaints against express bus operators have almost doubled from 11 last year to 21 so far this year. They range from poor bus conditions to unsatisfactory service.

There are more than 200 express bus departures to Malaysia daily.

Operating from Beach Road and other pickup points, they head to places like Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Malacca and Kuantan.

Frequent travellers would know about the spate of bus accidents in Malaysia in recent years and the crackdown by the authorities there on errant drivers and operators.

This year, the Malaysian government announced plans to make seatbelt-wearing a must on express buses. In August last year, a plan to ground the entire fleet of a company, if one of its buses is involved in a fatal accident, was implemented.

Now, the authorities there are urging operators to install global positioning system (GPS) devices to track buses.

Four months ago, Malaysian firm Sri Maju Tours and Travel installed such devices on 24 of its 128 buses. "We're doing a trial run first; at least we now have a record of details like speed," said chief operating officer Wendy Shin.

In Singapore, The Sunday Times understands that at least five bus operators have implemented the system.

Ensuring safety to retain customers is important as the bus industry also faces a threat from airlines.

Budget airlines now fly the Singapore- Kuala Lumpur route.

In the case of Mr Yap, he incorporated GPS into a reward system to motivate drivers. Every month, each driver is given 1,500 credit points. When an offence like speeding is committed, points are deducted.

But if they play by the rules, the credit they have is converted into cash.

"On average, my drivers get about RM150 (S$63) more on top of their pay; the really good ones can get up to RM600 more," said Mr Yap. Drivers usually earn RM2,000 to RM2,500 monthly.

At Singapore firm Konsortium Express and Tours, a manager said all its 30 buses have been speed-locked so drivers cannot drive faster than 110kmh.

At Singapore's Luxury Tours and Travel, the last bus leaves at about or Malacca at about 2am.

Said manager Rendy Wong: "Most accidents happen late at night. Safety will always be compromised at night, no matter how careful you are."

Bus operators also make sure they hire the right drivers. Most take in only those with at least two years of experience.

They do short trips first before taking on longer ones.

The Express Bus Agencies Association here keeps a blacklist of about 25 drivers. They are usually reckless, rude and no-shows. A couple have even been caught smuggling cigarettes and CDs on the job.

The drivers are mostly Malaysians aged between 30 and 50. But due to the long hours, low pay and poor public perception, their numbers are shrinking and the industry is facing a shortage.

One driver said he would be working up to 14 hours a day for a week - his company doesn't have enough drivers. He gets most of his rest on an empty passenger seat when his co-driver takes over.

"Sometimes, we don't even have a co-driver," said the man who wanted to be known only as Mr Chin.

"There are rules but no enforcement." In Malaysia, drivers have been nabbed for taking drugs to keep awake.

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association president Ashfar Ali attributes the driver shortage to the fact that bus drivers can move on to driving trucks and tankers for higher pay.

To improve safety, he said cleanup operations and random checks should be done daily.

But he thinks the situation has improved greatly from last year.

"There were no accidents during the recent Hari Raya period involving express buses. It shows enforcement has been a success," he said.

Bus accidents along North-South Expressway Safety: What bus firms are doing ♠Two drivers on board for trips beyond 350km ♠New driver takes over the wheel every two-and-a-half hours ♠Comfortable seats or even sleep cubicles to allow drivers to get enough rest ♠GPS systems installed on buses to ensure safe driving ♠Fewer or no night departures ♠Buses speed-locked to limit them to 110kmh ♠Maintenance checks conducted on buses up to four times a year

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 14, 2008.

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