Call for Mandatory School Bus Association Membership

Following a recent school van crash involving 22 students near the Bandar Dato Onn exit on the North-South Expressway, the Malaysian School Bus Operators and Drivers Coalition has urged the government to make association membership a mandatory requirement for school bus operator licensing.

Its President, Dr M Muruga, said the current system where operators only need to register with the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) through the iSPKP platform is inadequate. He believes the approval process does not take into account the applicant’s experience or safety record.

“This is a ticking time bomb in terms of road safety,” he told Bernama. “Associations are not just for formality. We conduct safety briefings, maintenance workshops, and work closely with JPJ and Puspakom. But the truth is, even with all these efforts, only 40 turn up for meetings when we invite hundreds.”

Commenting on the recent van incident, Muruga stated that such vehicles should carry a maximum of 18 primary school children or 12 adults. However, for us here at Carz.com.my this raises questions, as the van involved displayed a permitted capacity of 22 students. This discrepancy casts doubt on whether the stated capacity was accurate or possibly tampered with.

Currently, there are around 12,000 school bus operators in Malaysia, a decline from nearly 18,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic and the enforcement of a ban on buses older than 30 years. Muruga added that only about 60% are registered with their respective associations, leaving over 7,000 operators unregistered.

He also highlighted that a significant portion of current operators, over 85%, are senior citizens and single mothers, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak.

Muruga, who still drives a school bus with his wife, noted that the association supports members with training, workshops, and coordination with authorities. Despite the low RM40 annual membership fee, many operators remain reluctant to join.

At present, individuals can easily apply for a school bus operator licence through APAD’s iSPKP system without being part of any association.