'Driver did not sleep for 72 hours': Singapore mum shares coach bus horror story

Bus operator Billion Stars Express is getting zero stars from customers after their alleged poor handling of an accident that took place en-route to Kuala Lumpur.

Disgruntled customers took to Facebook to voice their displeasure with Billion Stars Express, claiming that the company was uncontactable and unapologetic after the accident on Saturday morning (Nov 23).

The bus had been scheduled to depart Golden Mile Express Bus Terminal in Singapore at 7.30pm on Nov 22 and drop passengers off at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur.

But at 1am, the driver had veered off the highway, sending the bus into a ditch, passenger Hanissah Abdullah told AsiaOne.

According to Hanissah, who sustained a fractured collarbone and multiple bruises, the passengers on the bus were eventually assisted by the driver of a second Billion Stars Express bus that had happened to pass by.

The affected passengers then boarded the second bus, which ferried them to Kuala Lumpur.

The second Billion Stars Express driver had told them that their original driver had not slept for 72 hours, she added.

Kahironbe Mirah-mohideen, whose daughter had been on the bus with her friends, called for a boycott of Billion Stars Express, saying that she had tried calling the bus operator after the accident but to no avail.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/mirahmohideen/posts/2354960774613650[/embed]

Hanissah, who had also been unsuccessful in her attempts to contact Billion Stars Express, visited the company's counter at Golden Mile Complex on Tuesday, only to be faced with rude staff and a two-hour wait to speak to the manager.

But her conversation with the manager did little to shed light on the situation.

"The manager told us, 'we wait for the passengers to get back to us then we know who's injured', which I really find ridiculous."

"They haven't apologised or taken any actions," she added. "They did not have a service breakdown plan."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/nisha.theoneandonly/posts/2807693575908217[/embed]

Billion Stars Express is based in Penang and was previously known as Lion Stars.

The company, which operates bus routes to Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor Bahru, Hat Yai and more, claims to provide its customers with "a good and comfortable ride", according to its website.

But numerous bad reviews online from customers say otherwise.

Just last month, Facebook user Raz Ana had complained of a "horrific experience" after taking a Billion Stars Express bus from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/raz.ana.7/posts/10157545096027243[/embed]

According to Ana, the bus had collided with a pickup truck, which resulted in several detours to a police station and to a workshop to assess the condition of the bus.

The driver did not apologise, nor did he check on the passengers after the accident, said Ana.

On Billion Stars Express' TripAdvisor page, a whopping 92 per cent of reviewers awarded them only one star out of five.

One review branded them as a "BS company" and another declared that they had the "worst bus service ever".

In a statement posted on Facebook on Nov 28, Billion Stars Express rebutted allegations that the bus driver had been sleep-deprived and clarified that all their drivers are given time to rest between trips.

The company also said that they had "provided the necessary assistance to the passengers involved".

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/billionstarsexpress/photos/a.883811338367117/2620440521370848/?type=3&permPage=1[/embed]

kimberlylim@asiaone.com