{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1723705,
        "msgid": "accident-history-of-als-bus-company-two-major-tragedies-within-a-year-1778148970",
        "date": "2026-05-07 14:01:00",
        "title": "Accident History of ALS Bus Company: Two Major Tragedies Within a Year",
        "author": "Azwar Ferdian",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Regulation",
        "summary": "The bus company PO Antar Lintas Sumatera (ALS) has faced two major fatal accidents exactly one year apart, including a recent crash in North Musi Rawas, South Sumatra, on 6 May 2026, that killed 16 people after colliding with an oil tanker truck. These incidents, alongside another in September 2025 that claimed two lives, highlight recurring safety issues in Indonesia's intercity bus transport, such as driver fatigue, braking failures, and inadequate infrastructure on steep routes. Transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno criticises the government's neglect of road safety oversight, noting that the involved bus lacked proper operating permits, underscoring the urgent need for stricter regulations and systemic improvements amid alarmingly high annual road death tolls.",
        "content": "<p>JAKARTA - A series of accidents involving buses from PO Antar Lintas\nSumatera (ALS) has once again come under scrutiny following the latest\nincident in North Musi Rawas, South Sumatra, on Wednesday (6\/5\/2026),\nwhich killed 16 people in a collision with an oil tanker truck. This\nevent has reignited questions about the consistency of road transport\nsafety oversight, particularly for intercity buses. Within the span of\none year, PO ALS has recorded two major accidents with significant\ncasualties. Previously, on 6 May 2025, an ALS bus on the Medan\u2013Bekasi\nroute crashed in the Bukit Surungan area, Padang Panjang, West Sumatra.\nNotably, the two events occurred exactly one year apart on the same\ndate, drawing attention in discussions on road transportation safety. In\naddition to these two major incidents, PO ALS also experienced another\naccident on 7 September 2025 at the Padang\u2013Sicincin Toll Exit, Pariaman.\nA tourist bus carrying a group of karate athletes from Medan suffered a\nsingle-vehicle accident after the driver allegedly fell asleep and lost\ncontrol. The incident killed two people and injured dozens of other\npassengers. Although varying in scale, this series of incidents adds to\nthe safety record that is now under public scrutiny for the bus\noperator. Transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno assesses that public\nattention to road accidents is often disproportionate to the scale of\nthe casualties. \u201cBoth involving 16 deaths, the railway accident garners\nmore uproar than the road one,\u201d Djoko told Kompas.com on Thursday\n(7\/5\/2026). He views this situation as indicating that the high rate of\nroad accidents is beginning to be seen as normal. However, data from the\nMinistry of Transportation shows an average of around three people dying\nevery hour due to traffic accidents in Indonesia. According to him,\npatterns of fatal road accidents continue to repeat without adequate\nsafety system improvements. \u201cThe government is still negligent towards\nroad transportation safety,\u201d he said. Djoko also highlighted oversight\naspects, including findings that the bus involved in the North Musi\nRawas accident was said to lack operating permits based on checks via\nthe Ministry of Transportation\u2019s Mitra Darat application. This finding\nhas reignited questions about the effectiveness of public transport\nfleet oversight, especially for AKAP buses serving long-distance routes\nwith high risk levels. Besides permitting aspects, several bus accidents\nin Indonesia also frequently show recurring patterns, from suspected\nbraking system failures, driver fatigue factors, to the characteristics\nof extreme downhill routes that have not yet been fully matched with\nsafety infrastructure. \u201cRoad transportation safety emergency,\u201d he\nstated.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/accident-history-of-als-bus-company-two-major-tragedies-within-a-year-1778148970",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}