SBS Transit bus captain braked 'so hard' that passengers were flung forward and injured

SBS Transit is taking disciplinary action against a bus captain who braked so hard that at least two passengers were flung forward and left injured.

Stomper Ong said he was onboard bus service 9 with his wife on March 12, at around 4.40pm, when the incident occurred.

He recounted: "The bus was travelling from Changi Village to Simei MRT station. During the trip, the bus driver tried and failed to beat the amber light at a traffic junction. I believe this was along Loyang Avenue before Loyang Flyover.

"The bus driver hit the brakes so hard that everyone on the bus was thrown forward. My wife and I were seated on the last third row of the bus where the seats in front are back-facing seats. There was nobody sitting in front of us.

"I managed to react in time and prevented myself from getting injured. My wife’s shins were injured by the impact against the seat in front."

Ong shared a photo showing the injury that his wife sustained.

He added: "An elderly man seated behind me was the most unfortunate. He hit his forehead against the grab pole, while his mobile phone flew off from his hand and landed on the walkway three seats away.

"The elderly man was bleeding from a cut on his forehead and had to press it with a piece of tissue paper to stop the blood.

"A gentleman seated beside the elderly man was the one who passed him the tissue paper and advised him to consult a doctor if he felt unwell later on. The elderly man thanked the gentleman and alighted from the bus a few stops later. No ambulance was called.

"It was quite fortunate that nobody was standing on the bus and there was no young children on board at that time. Otherwise, it could have gotten really serious.

"The bus driver didn't even look back even once to apologise or ask if everyone was okay. He continued to drive as if nothing had happened and braked hard again at the very next bus stop."

Ong said the bus driver's reaction left him disappointed, which prompted him to provide feedback to SBS Transit.

The Stomper added: "I subsequently received a call from SBS Transit. Over the phone, the staff informed me that they are currently investigating the case and they hope to contact the elderly man who had injured his forehead."

In response to a Stomp query, Mrs Grace Wu, SBS Transit's vice-president (Special Grade) for customer experience and communications, said: "We do not take this matter lightly and have conducted an investigation into it.

"We do not condone the driving behaviour of the bus captain concerned and are taking disciplinary action against him to avoid a recurrence of such an incident.

"We have also been in contact with the Stomper following his feedback to us to express our concern over his wife's injuries and offered assistance.

"We apologise to all affected commuters for the distress and inconvenience caused due to this incident."