Rule on bus emergency exits not enforced
Rule on bus emergency exits not enforced
JAKARTA (JP): Managements of inter-city buses say they have
either no knowledge of a rule that states all buses must have
emergency exits, or do not follow it.
"We have never heard of the rule," a staff member of the
Kramatdjati bus company, who requested anonymity, said yesterday.
"Our buses have always passed vehicle tests although we don't
have emergency exits," said Krisna Hidayat of another bus
company, Hiba Utama.
"We have never had problems with officials checking our buses
on the roads," he added.
On Saturday 31 people were killed a bus accident, including 29
passengers on a Kramatdjati bus who were trapped in fire after
the bus hit a jeep parked on the hard shoulder of the Jagorawi
toll road.
The bus driver told the police he couldn't reach the control
buttons to open the automatic doors, which are the only exit
points.
The Kramatdjati staff member said there are also no controls
accessible to passengers near the doors.
An official in charge of vehicle tests for public transport,
Robby Wuisan, said he was not authorized to comment on what
constitutes a vehicle test, or explain why the 1993 rule is not
enforced.
Emergency exits are mandated in clauses 92 and 93 of the 1993
rule on vehicles and drivers. Clause 93 also rules that signs
pointing to exits and their use must be displayed.
On Monday Kompas reported that the secretary-general of the
central board of Organda, the association of public
transportation owners, was also in the dark of the rule.
The secretary-general, Djauhari Perangin Angin, was also
quoted as saying that if vehicles are found to lack required
features, appropriate action should be taken.
Hidayat of Hiba Utama said vehicle tests usually cover the
construction of the bus, the length of the vehicle, the width of
doors, and other aspects.
"But emergency exits are not required," he said.
Hiba Utama's doors are equipped with emergency controls, but
Hidayat said the company has not put up any notices about the
controls.
"Putting up signs is a dilemma because we have had passengers
open doors on the motorway for no reason," he said.
"But after the Kramatdjati accident we are considering whether
signs are necessary," Hidayat said.
He said the management has not yet thought about emergency
exits.
The source at Kramatdjati also said that the company fears
that controls accessible to persons other than the bus crew could
be used by robbers posing as passengers.
Staff members of other bus companies confirmed they don't have
emergency exits either, but claimed windows can be smashed. (anr)