MP Urges Evaluation of National Transportation Safety Following ALS Bus Collision
Jakarta - A member of Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Abdul Hadi, has urged stakeholders to evaluate aspects of national transportation safety following the fatal collision between an Antar Lintas Sumatera (ALS) bus and a tanker truck on the Trans-Sumatra Highway in Karang Jaya Subdistrict, South Sumatra.
“We must not continue to treat accidents as routine news. Public safety must be the top priority in transportation governance. High mobility should not come at the cost of people’s lives,” said Abdul, as per a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.
As a legislator overseeing infrastructure and transportation, Abdul has pushed the government and relevant parties to investigate the causes of the accident, including vehicle roadworthiness, road conditions, transportation company operational standards, working hours, and driver conditions.
According to him, there is a need to strengthen supervision of public transport and logistics vehicle fleets operating on accident-prone routes, especially long-distance inter-provincial trips.
“Transportation accidents almost always recur with the same patterns. This means there are systemic issues that must be addressed immediately. The government and all stakeholders must ensure that citizens’ safety is the top priority and not compromised by negligence or weak supervision,” he stated.
Abdul expressed deep condolences for the accident. He described the crash, which claimed the lives of more than a dozen people, as a very distressing tragedy.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all the victims’ families. May the victims attain the best place beside Allah SWT, and may the bereaved families be granted strength and patience,” he said.
In addition, he requested that all injured victims receive maximum medical treatment and that victims’ rights, including compensation and family support, be fulfilled promptly and appropriately.
“We hope this tragedy becomes a momentum for serious improvements to the national transportation system to make it more oriented towards human safety,” he said.
The fatal collision between the ALS bus and the tanker truck occurred on the Trans-Sumatra Highway in Karang Jaya Subdistrict on Wednesday (6/5) afternoon.
The North Musi Rawas Regency Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in South Sumatra has evacuated 16 fatalities from the accident.
Head of Preparedness Division of BPBD Muratara, Mugono, said the tragic incident resulted in at least 16 people dying at the scene. The victims consisted of 14 ALS bus passengers as well as the tanker truck driver and assistant.
Mugono explained that based on initial data collected by BPBD in the field, the accident occurred around 12:39 WIB.
The incident began when the ALS bus was travelling from Lubuklinggau towards Medan or Pekanbaru. While passing through Karang Jaya Subdistrict, sparks appeared from the bus’s undercarriage.
The ALS bus driver then attempted to steer the vehicle to the right side of the road to avoid greater risks. However, at the same time, from the opposite direction, a tanker was speeding towards it, making a severe collision unavoidable.