In The Aftermath Of The ALS Accident, The Ministry Of Transportation Requires Buses To Have An Operational Permit And Roadworthy Permit

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) through the Directorate General of Land Transportation reminded bus entrepreneurs to fulfill the obligations of every bus operating must have a permit and be roadworthy.

This is in response to an accident involving an Inter-Sumatra Bus (ALS) that occurred on Jalan Lintas Padang Panjang, Padang, West Sumatra, last Tuesday, May 6.

Acting Director General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, Ahmad Yani, said that it is mandatory to have permits and be roadworthy in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation Number PM 55 of 2012 concerning Vehicles and PM Number 15 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of People's Transportation by Public Motor Vehicles in the Trayek.

In the regulation, it is explained that every vehicle operating on a road that is used as public transportation is required to have a permit to carry out people's transportation and then meet the provisions of the minimum service standard.

In addition, each vehicle is also required to periodically check its vehicles.

"The certainty of vehicle feasibility is the responsibility of Motor Vehicle Testing and of course the Autobus Company itself. Bus POs are required to carry out periodic vehicle maintenance and vehicle testers perform functions to ensure that vehicles meet the minimum standardization for each bus to operate," Yani said in an official statement, Wednesday, May 9.

In addition, Yani emphasized that every public transport company is also required to implement the Public Transportation Company Safety Management System (SMK PAU) as stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Transportation (Permenhub) Number 85 of 2018.

SMK PAU is the safety governance of the company's management which is carried out comprehensively and coordinated to realize safety and manage the risk of accidents.

For information, after checking the Inter-Sumatra Bus (ALS) which had an accident on Tuesday, May 6, did not have an operating permit. Meanwhile, the periodic test status period is valid until May 14, 2025.

"This is certainly a very concern. We will summon the owner of the autobus company and will act decisively so that this incident does not happen again. We will also continue to coordinate with the police, the relevant Transportation Service and the National Transportation Safety Committee to explore the cause of this accident," he added.

Meanwhile, as stated in Law No. 22 of 2009 concerning LLAJ, sanctions for traffic violations can be in the form of revocation of transportation budget permits and if an accident occurs with non-worthy vehicle conditions, the company is obliged to provide compensation for accident victims through accident insurance.

"We hope that all autobus companies can carry out this obligation as well as possible in order to prioritize the safety and security aspects of transportation in Indonesia," he said.