Charging points in buses categorised as an accessory, not included in Puspakom vehicle inspection checklist

Puspakom CEO Mahmood Razak Bahman has said charging points in express buses are categorised as an accessory under the Road Transport Act 1987 and are therefore not subjected to any safety inspection. This comes after an 18-year-old was electrocuted while attempting to charge his phone on a bus in Penang.

As reported by The Star, Mahmood said that although charging points were never checked, the first fatal case while charging will be taken seriously. “The transport ministry has created a special task force – with the road transport department (JPJ), land public transport agency (APAD), Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Puspakom and Sirim – to investigate the case with the deputy secretary-general of land transport as the committee chair,” he said.

“APAD has suspended the bus in question while JPJ will be conducting a technical audit of the vehicle to identify the possible causes of electrocution. With our experience, Puspakom will play its role in the task force, that targets to come out with an incident report and recommendations in due course. We will not speculate on the way forward by the authorities with respect to the charging points. We will comply with any requirements for inspection as we have for the last 30 years,” he added.

Following the incident, transport minister Anthony Loke said yesterday that a review on vehicle safety inspection may be carried out. “We have to establish the facts first to determine whether using the USB was the cause. That is why we set up the task force to determine the cause of the incident,” Loke said.

Loke added that as the bus involved in the incident had yet to be fully inspected, it’s still to early to determine the exact cause. “We will establish the cause of the incident and will review the safety measures from there,” he said.

Meanwhile, associate professor Law Teik Hua from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s road safety research centre called for charging ports in express buses to be included as part of the vehicle inspection checklist by Puspakom.

“On top of the checks by Puspakom, Sirim QAS International should ensure all electrical and electronic goods fitted by the bus builder in roadworthy express buses are approved by Sirim and ST to ensure public safety,” said Law.

He pointed out that due to the increase in the number of USB ports in vehicles, automotive integrated circuits must meet the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) standards, which is a risk classification system defined by ISO 26262, a process for managing and reducing risks associated with electrical and electronic systems.

There are four ASIL levels, with A representing the lowest degree and D being the highest degree of automotive hazard. While systems such as airbags power steering and anti-lock brakes are designed to ASIL-D standards, USB chargers are typically not required to meet ASIL standards as they do not directly impact critical systems.

Pan Malaysian Bus Operators Association (PMBOA) president Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali echoed Law’s sentiment but urged the authorities to provide appropriate solutions rather than knee-jerk solutions. “Not all express buses come fitted with charging ports or sockets. If they do have an inspection of such ports or sockets that are not in the inspection checklist, it is now up to the transport ministry to include it in. This is because only the ministry can expand the checklist,” he said.

On the matter of supplying electrical and electronic goods, including phone charging cables, deputy domestic trade and cost of living minister Fuziah Salleh said there are no specific regulations with regards to selling such items that are Sirim-approved.

“The domestic trade and cost of living ministry does not have specific regulations regarding the sale of products that use Sirim certification, unless there are complaints about the misuse of fake Sirim approvals. In such cases, an investigation can be conducted under the Trade Description Act 2011,” she said.

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