29 Aug 2008

Fiji toughens bus controls after fatal fire

6:11 pm on 29 August 2008

Following an accident in Fiji where a bus caught fire, claiming the lives of 10 people, authorities have come down hard on bus companies to review their buses every six months instead of the usual 12 months period.

The Fiji Times reports the interim Transport Minister, Timoci Natuva, as saying the decision to review buses every six months after the initial period of operation is being adopted along with random checks.

He says the move will be enforced by the Land Transport Authority to ensure public safety is secured and protected.

Mr Natuva says he has instructed government agencies to look into safety features of public vehicles, to allow some to be in place to protect against future repetition of this kind of accidents.

Saying that the incident in Sigatoka was unfortunate, Mr Natuva expressed concerns with the ability of public vehicle operators to ensure safety on public vehicles.