In support of L.T.A’s Chief Executive

Dear Editor,

Re: Wooden buses in Samoa 

I totally agree that these wooden buses should be phased out. 

These old hunks of junks may make people pine for a bit of nostalgia and they may be great for tourists - fine, put them in a Samoa Transport Museum or as a ride in a local amusement park. 

However, these buses are unsafe. As soon as they flip over, 10 times out of 10 they are going to disintegrate and crush people to death. 

A modern bus does not disintegrate like that even when it rolls. Phase them out and force bus companies to get more modern buses over a set number of years, maybe 5 year period.

I also totally agree with what Leasi says here when he says that the frame of the bus was designed to be high off the ground because they were designed for trucks. This means their centre of gravity is well off the ground and they can easily flip. They are clearly dangerous.

Quite a few former bus owners I've talked with over the years have agreed that those buses need to be phased out. 

The roads are getting more crowded now that most Samoans have cars. Those buses present as a major danger on the winding and crowded roads of Samoa.

All bus drivers should also be made to take a defensive driver course as well as every single one be made to wear a uniform to clearly identify them as qualified bus drivers. 

Too many bus companies just get anyone from their families to drive a bus.

The L.T.A. needs to do mandatory bus checks out in the rural areas. Too many of them hang around the urban area when a lot of the dangerous driving is outside of the Apia-Vaitele urban area.

Petelo Suaniu

Samoa Observer

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