Following a series of horrific accidents involving chartered tourist buses, the government is set to inspect buses for operational readiness over the Waisak holiday period, in a bid to improve oversight of a transport agency that experts see as inadequate.
The Ministry of Transport set up checkpoints at tourist sites across the country and inspected road conditions for buses during the four-day holiday from May 23 to Sunday, when road congestion caused by tourist buses is expected.
The checkpoints, which operated every day over the holidays, were set up to ensure buses had up-to-date documentation and met provincial safety standards.
On the first day of inspections on Thursday, less than half of 67 buses inspected in Jakarta, Banten, Riau provinces and Bogor regency in West Java had the correct documents. The rest had expired documents or were operating without them.
“Such cases will be handed over to police for investigation to have a deterrent effect,” Hendro Sugiatono, director general of the ministry's land transport department, said in a statement.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
The ministry stepped up supervision after at least four accidents involving buses carrying students and teachers on regional study trips occurred in different parts of the country this month alone.
Also read: Fatal bus accident highlights regulatory failings
