Marcel Lee Pereira
Tue, Jan 29, 2008
my paper
Bus driver snoozes on the job
For a careful driver like Madam Daphne Hoon, seeing an SBS bus
driver seemingly asleep at the wheel at a red light junction was
too much to take.
The 33-year-old freelance nail artist took three pictures of the
driver with her mobile phone.
Then she sent them to online news portal Stomp yesterday.
Her car was beside a SBS service 124 bus at 11.20am yesterday at
the junction of Telok Blangah Crescent and Telok Blangah Way.
Madam Hoon, who had just dropped her two children off at school,
told my paper: "I noticed the driver had his elbows on the steering
wheel, so I took a closer look and saw that his eyes were
closed."
The driver slept for about three minutes, Madam Hoon
estimated.
He did not wake up until the light turned green and she had
begun to drive off.
"He didn't even realise I had taken his picture," added Madam
Hoon, who makes it a point to be alert while at the wheel.
When contacted, Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's director for corporate
communications, said: "We are appalled to learn about this incident
and are currently conducting a thorough investigation into the
matter. We take a serious view of it."
Bus captains on average work nine hours a day, of which about 12
per cent is spent on breaks in between trips, said Ms Tan.
The story on Stomp drew mixed responses with several readers
criticising the driver.
Others, however, said he could be facing some personal problems
and should be given the benefit of the doubt.
But Madam Hoon added: "No matter what, you are on duty. You can
take a break when you reach the terminal, but not on the journey.
Being a careful driver is not enough, you have to be alert to watch
out for other drivers. The passengers' lives are in his hands."
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.... by the way, when is this new format going to be up to
scratch?
... it takes FOREVER just to post a reply or new topic!!!
... it's like one big step - backwards...
