KUALA LUMPUR: The Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) has issued a temporary ban on the use of sockets in all express buses until the investigation into the death of a teenager who was allegedly electrocuted while charging his mobile phone on a bus is completed. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the temporary ban is to enable a thorough investigation to determine the actual cause of the incident.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Transport Minister emphasized the importance of understanding the circumstances surrounding the tragic event. “We have also sought advice from the Energy Commission (ST) and if there are any improvements needed by the Ministry of Transport, we are ready to work with ST to review the standard operating procedures (SOPs) that need to be implemented before wiring or the use of sockets is permitted in express buses,” Loke stated during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.
In response to a supplementary question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) concerning the safety of socket
use in express buses and possible collaboration with the ST, Loke noted that there is currently no requirement for socket inspections in the inspection process conducted by Puspakom. The investigation aims to address this gap and ensure enhanced safety measures are put in place.