[Watch] If A RapidKL Bus Hits You, You Pay – Motorist Learned That The Hard Way
A RapidKL bus, allegedly with faulty brakes, struck a motorist’s car in Kuala Lumpur — and after more than a month of follow-ups, the victim found there was no claim to be made against RapidKL’s insurance at all.
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A Kuala Lumpur motorist says a RapidKL bus driver admitted the vehicle had faulty brakes after it collided with her car — a claim that has sparked public concern over the safety of buses operating on the capital’s roads.
The incident, which the motorist says occurred on 11 March, was brought to public attention this week after she posted about it on social media.
At the time of writing, the post has garnered over 2,200 likes and has been shared more than 600 times.
In the post, the motorist — who goes by the handle @simplelee22 — said the bus struck her vehicle during the morning rush hour.
Accordingly, the driver told her after the collision that the bus’s brakes were faulty.
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An Endless Loop Of Corporate Deflection?
The motorist claimed that RapidKL’s responses over more than a month amounted to repeated deflection — allegedly including the phrases “We have relayed the message to the relevant team” and “We are currently seeking an update from the insurance team.”
It was also alleged that there were no callbacks and no substantive answers.
The motorist then consulted an insurance agent, who informed him that, point-blank, victims of RapidKL bus collisions cannot file a third-party claim against the operator’s insurance because public transport vehicles are classified differently under Malaysian insurance frameworks.
You can only file an own damage claim under your own policy. That’s it.
The practical consequence was significant: the motorist lost the No-Claim Discount (NCD), faced a higher premium next year, and received no compensation from RapidKL — despite the collision allegedly being caused by the operator’s vehicle.
I fixed my car using my own insurance. I lost my NCD. I absorbed the cost.
This was not always the case; in 2019, following a separate incident in which a RapidKL bus rammed several vehicles along Jalan Enggang AU2, Taman Keramat, the company’s then-CEO Mohd Azam Omar publicly directed affected vehicle owners to submit claims — together with relevant documents — directly to Rapid Bus via email.
It is unclear whether such a mechanism still exists today.
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What If It Was A Motorcyclist?
The motorist said she walked away with vehicle damage, but raised the broader safety implications of a public bus allegedly operating with a mechanical defect.
Faulty brakes. On a public bus. Operating on the road, surrounded by motorcyclists, pedestrians, or even schoolchildren.
Other commuters responded to the post with similar frustrations.
One Threads user, @boriswjz, said he had been filing complaints about RapidKL’s bus and LRT services since 2022, writing: “Nothing improved, but getting worse.”
Under Malaysian law, public service vehicles must undergo regular inspections and meet roadworthiness standards set by the Road Transport Department (JPJ).
Buses operating with known mechanical defects may be in breach of the Road Transport Act 1987.
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This article is based on publicly available social media posts. The allegation that the bus driver admitted to faulty brakes has not been independently verified. TRP has reached out to RapidKL for comment and will update this article upon receiving a response.
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