PARLIAMENT The driver of the ill-fated stage bus which crashed in Genting Highlands, killing 37 people, had 16 summonses to his name, the Transport Ministry has confirmed.

Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi told the Dewan Rakyat today that 15 of those summonses were for speeding, while another was for obstructing traffic.

However, no blacklist action could be taken against the driver because he was not charged in court for the offences, the deputy minister said during Question Time in response to a question from Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan).

Abdul Aziz also revealed that there are more than 72,000 bus drivers in the transportation industry who have been issued with summonses.

"But the Road and Transport Department (RTD) has no record for these people. Public transport operators must ensure that their drivers have a clean record," he stressed.

"We are looking at the issue seriously and will take steps to suspend the licences of those who freuqently break the law," he said.

Abdul Aziz said the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) would chair a committee to ensure that employed bus drivers would not harm the lives of the general public with their driving.

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