With the holiday rush already in full gear, enforcement officers converged at Bandar Tasik Selatan to ensure that both drivers and vehicles were ready for the long-distance travel ahead.
The operation, codenamed Ops Selamat, was a joint effort by Kuala Lumpur police, the Cheras Narcotics Department, the Road Transport Department and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
City traffic chief Asst Comm Mohd Nadzri Hussain told The Star, 169 buses were checked in the five-hour operation.
“Our focus was to inspect public transportation such as buses and taxis. We want to ensure the drivers are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” he told The Star.
The English daily also reported that police arrested a 63-year-old bus driver with 29 summonses, and five arrest warrants while another was caught for using a fake registration number plate.
Meanwhile SPAD enforcement director Che Hasni Che Ahmad told The Star, drivers for additional buses that were not classified as “express buses” such as tour buses and school buses must apply for a temporary licence so that they would qualify for insurance coverage.
“We received 250 applications for temporary licences and 246 were approved.
“There were reasons why we rejected some applications. In some cases, the buses were not fit for long distance travel, Che Hasni told The Star.