ON April 24, I purchased a ticket at the counter of an express bus company in Pudu Raya for a journey to Ipoh. The bus was scheduled to depart at 2.30pm. Instead of the normal computer printout, the ticket was manually issued under the company’s name.

The bus arrived at the terminal on time, but it was a bus from a different company. The sign on the bus indicated that it was travelling between Ipoh and 1 Utama.

The bus departed at 3.15pm when it had a full load of passengers. A new ticket under the name of another company was issued in the bus.

Before reaching the Gopeng exit, one of the female passengers had stomach pain and requested the driver to stop. He ignored her request and continued driving until the Simpang Pulai rest area. He stopped the bus at the Petronas station and announced that the bus would be stopping for 30 minutes and disappeared.

Upon reaching Ipoh, the bus did not enter the Medan Gopeng terminal, but stopped at the main road and the driver told the passengers to get down and drove off.

Such incidents seem to be the norm rather than the exception. Who should be responsible to take up a case against these companies and drivers? Who is going to punish them? Must the public put up with this type of poor service?

A. JEYARAJ, Ipoh

Source: NST – April 29, 2008