Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) dismissed media reports yesterday that a driver of its RapidKL bus run away after the vehicle knocked down two pedestrians along Jalan Tun Sambanthan Sunday evening.
Its bus division’s group director, Zohari Sulaiman, said the driver had stopped the bus and immediately alighted to help the injured pedestrians.
However, police at the scene took him to the police station to record a statement and also to prevent any untoward incident at the scene, he said in a statement.
“Suggestions that the driver ran away are fully unfounded and untrue,” he added.
Zohari also said that the driver is temporarily grounded until an internal inquiry on the matter is completed as there are claims that the driver was speeding during the incident.
“As for our service, it will remain as per normal,” he said.
Zohari also claimed that during the 3.30 pm incident yesterday, the driver could not brake in time when the two pedestrians suddenly walked onto the bus’s path to cross the road while only observing one side of the traffic flow and not knowing that the road is now a two-way street.
The company has also lodged a police report on the vandalising of its bus after the incident, whereby the bus windscreen was damaged, he said.
He said the incident was an unfortunate one, yet it could have been avoided with the close cooperation and deep understanding of all parties following the change in traffic flow in the area.
Zohari suggested a bigger presence of police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall enforcement personnel in the area to ensure that the public only cross the road at the designated paths, besides the putting up of clearer signages on the change of the contra flow special bus lane.
He said this is necessary because five accidents have been reported in the last two days in the area following the change in the traffic flow.
– Bernama