Former SBS Transit bus driver convicted of drink-driving
Stock photo
SINGAPORE — For two hours spanning the late afternoon and early evening, an inebriated SBS Transit bus driver — who had drank alcohol before his shift — continued swigging from a bottle of vodka which he kept beside the driver’s seat, while carrying a busload of passengers. In a drunken stupor, he drove the bus around the Central Business District, on the Central Expressway (CTE) and through the heartland estates of Bishan, Sin Ming, Marymount and Upper Thomson.
His bus swerved from left to right, encroaching into other lanes, creating a hazard for other motorists who honked at him. On the CTE, for instance, he stopped the bus along the middle of the extreme left lane for close to a minute, forcing other vehicles to travel around the bus in order to continue their journey. Failing to apply the brakes, the bus rolled back for about two seconds before it moved forward again.
In 120 minutes behind the wheel, the driver nearly collided into other vehicles and road barriers five times, beat six red lights, drove against the flow of traffic, and fell asleep at the wheel.
Closed-circuit television camera footage from the bus, which captured the entire episode, showed him drinking from a bottle of blackcurrant vodka six times during this period.
On Wednesday (June 7), Nagibullah Raja Saleem, 27 — who has since been sacked by SBS Transit — was convicted in court of drink driving, rash driving and using his mobile phone while operating the bus. According to court documents, he was so intoxicated that his alcohol level was assessed to be 2.4 times the legal limit more than four hours after he finished his shift.
In response to TODAY’s queries, SBS Transit senior vice president for corporate communications Tammy Tan on Thursday apologised for the incident, and stressed that the operator has “zero tolerance for such reckless behaviour”.
“We do not take the safety of our commuters and fellow road users lightly ... Mr Nagibullah was dismissed from service following the incident,” she said. “We have since stepped up measures to avoid a repeat of the incident. We are truly sorry for what has happened.”
Ms Tan said that as a requirement under SBS Transit’s standard operating procedure, Nagibullah “had declared and was checked to be fit enough to drive for the day when he started his shift in the morning”. Following the incident, bus drivers who have longer breaks of several hours in between their trips have to complete a second declaration form stating that they are fit to resume their duty.
“A dedicated staff will also be on duty to verify the state of the Bus Captain as declared in his/her form,” Ms Tan said.
The court heard that on June 29 last year, Nagibullah had consumed alcohol sometime between 10am and 3pm, before he was due to begin his shift at 3.30pm.
Court documents showed that passengers went to check on the driver on several occasions: For example, at around 4.30pm, he had rested his head on the steering wheel when he fell asleep for over a minute at a traffic junction. He only woke up when a passenger approached him and asked why the bus was still stationary.
Less than 10 minutes later, he swerved left and right while in the Orchard area, driving into the lane meant for traffic in the opposite direction, which led to a few passengers shouting “hey, hey, hey” at him.
A passenger then walked up to the driver and told him he had been driving dangerously. She said that she would report him if he did not drive carefully. Subsequently, the passenger who had earlier woken the driver up at the junction approached him and asked if he was okay. Nagibullah indicated that he was fine.
The court also heard that Nagibullah missed a bus stop despite passengers repeatedly pressing the bell, and they had to alight along a bend in the road.
CCTV footage also showed that Nagibullah had checked his handphone while driving the bus.
At 6.15pm, while entering the Shenton Way bus terminal, he had driven the bus against the flow of traffic, leading to a near collision with another exiting bus. The bus was also incorrectly parked.
A timekeeping duty officer at the terminal was informed about the incident as well as the complaints made by passengers. Upon reaching the bus, he found Nagibullah slumped at the driver’s seat, with the bus engine still running.
While re-parking the bus, the officer noticed the empty vodka bottle beside the driver’s seat. He then made a police report.
Nagibullah had a “flushed face, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech” when a police officer conducted a breathalyser test on him. Nagibullah failed it, and admitted to drinking alcohol.
Police officer-turned-lawyer Luke Lee, who has handled many traffic cases, told TODAY it was the first time he has heard of a bus driver convicted of drink driving while on duty.
He pointed out that Nagibullah had “not only endangered his own life, but also the lives of the passengers he was ferrying”. Noting that laws provide protection for bus drivers from assault by passengers, Mr Lee said that they will be punished severely if they are found to be endangering the lives of members of the public.
Other public bus operators here said they have measures in place — such as random breathalyser tests and requiring drivers to declare they are fit to drive — to ensure its bus captains do not show up for work intoxicated.
Tower Transit, for example, said that at its bus depot, security personnel also look out for any signs of inebriation from staff members, including bus drivers. At the interchanges, dispatch counter staff, which manage the schedules of bus drivers, also look out for signs of alcohol consumption.
Nagibullah will return to court next month.
For rash driving, Nagibullah can be jailed up to six months and/or fined a maximum if S$1,000. On a first conviction for drink-driving, he faces a jail sentence of up to six months, or a fine of between S$1,000 and S$5,000. For using his mobile phone while driving the bus, he can be jailed up to six months and/or fined up to S$1,000.
