Bus Driver In Lap-Driving Viral Case Gets Jail Time, So Does His Lap Friend
The woman involved in the case said she did it out of an interest in driving a bus.
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An express bus driver and his lady friend were slapped with jail sentences today (17 April) after pleading guilty in the Magistrates’ Court to dangerous driving last week.
The accused, a 36-year-old man and his 21-year-old female friend, entered their plea before Magistrate Mazana Sinin.
According to Sinar Harian, the bus driver was sentenced to one year in prison, while the woman was given a six-month sentence. Both were also slapped with a RM5,000 fine each.
Based on the charges, they were jointly charged with driving a bus with registration number APE 9588 in a manner dangerous to the public.
The incident occurred last Sunday (12 April) as the bus exited Bemban R&R on the North-South Expressway (southbound) in the Jasin district of Melaka.
The pair were charged under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amendment) 2020, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
If convicted, they can be sentenced up to five years in prison, a fine of between RM5,000 to RM15,000, and disqualification from driving for at least five years.
Meanwhile, the woman was fined an additional RM100 under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for using abusive and insulting language to a 44-year-old woman.
The viral “lap-driving” incident
Last week, footage of an express bus whose driver had a woman sitting on his lap steering the bus went viral on social media.
Another video from a car’s dashcam showing the bus making hazardous maneuvers also surfaced online.
These videos prompted authorities to launch an investigation into the bus driver as well as the bus operator company, Sri Maju Group.
The company released a statement soon after the matter went viral, informing that it had sacked the bus driver effective immediately.
The woman, who was a ticket counter clerk for a different bus company, told police that she sat on the driver’s lap out of an interest in driving a bus.
The woman aced her SPM 3 years ago
According to Kosmo!, the woman who sat on the bus driver’s lap is a star student.
In her appeal before the Magistrate, she said she had been under the care of her grandmother and obtained 8As and 2Bs in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination three years ago.
“I earned 8As and 2Bs in my SPM and lived with my grandmother. I got an offer to study but I couldn’t afford it. After my grandmother passed away, there was no one to support me, so I migrated to find work.
“I hope I will get a lighter punishment because I’d like to continue my studies,” she said.
After hearing the appeal and considering the young woman’s age, the court sentenced her to six months in prison and a fine of RM5,000, or two months in prison in default under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
READ MORE: Express Bus Driver Sacked After Woman Caught Sitting on His Lap During Johor Trip
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