16 Dead in ALS Bus Tragedy, Commission V Urges Audit of National Road Transport Safety Standards

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Deputy Chairman of DPR RI Commission V, Syaiful Huda, has expressed profound condolences over the deadly accident involving an Antar Lintas Sumatera (ALS) bus and a fuel tanker truck on the Trans-Sumatra Route (Jalinsum) in North Musi Rawas Regency (Muratara), South Sumatra. This incident, which claimed 16 lives, is seen as a harsh wake-up call for national road transport safety aspects. Huda has urged the Ministry of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) to immediately conduct a thorough investigative audit, not only on the chronology of the event but also on the standard operational procedures (SOP) for hazardous goods transport and long-distance passenger services. “The incident in Muratara is heart-wrenching. 16 lives were lost in an instant due to a collision that triggered a massive fire. We demand a strict audit of the ALS bus fleet’s roadworthiness and the readiness of our road drivers. We must not let people’s lives continue to be lost due to negligence in safety standards on transit routes,” said Syaiful Huda in his statement on Wednesday (6/5/2026). Huda highlighted fatigue as a frequent cause of buses veering into oncoming lanes. In his view, the government needs to tighten supervision regarding work time management for bus crew on long routes like those of PO ALS. “The ALS bus route is one of the longest in Indonesia. The government must ensure that every bus company has strict and digitally monitored work time and rest management for drivers,” he said. This collision proved particularly fatal due to the involvement of a fuel tanker truck. Huda has requested an evaluation of operational hour regulations and special escorts for trucks carrying highly flammable materials on accident-prone routes to minimise fatality risks in the event of collisions. “We also request that the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Public Works recheck the roadworthiness of infrastructure at the incident site, from road markings, lighting, to warning signs in areas prone to ‘head-on’ collisions,” he emphasised. This PKB DPP Chairman has asked Jasa Raharja to promptly process compensation for all deceased victims and guarantee treatment costs for survivors without administrative hurdles. To date, police are still identifying the victims’ identities while efforts continue to evacuate the vehicle wreckage to restore normal logistics distribution on the Jalinsum route. “We must not become accustomed to road death tolls. Every accident must serve as the basis for overhauling weak regulations. Commission V will summon relevant parties to ensure this investigation is transparent and produces recommendations capable of preventing similar incidents from recurring,” said Huda.