'I was excited':Woman explains why she sat on bus driver's lap

 

The woman who sat on a bus driver’s lap while he was driving said she did so because she had a crush on him, according to police.-NSTP/Farhana Yaacob

JASIN: The woman who sat on a bus driver's lap while he was driving said she did so because she was excited to drive, according to police.

Jasin police chief Superintendent Lee Robert said the 21-year-old woman, who is also the 36-year-old driver's girlfriend, made the admission when she turned up to give her statement today.

He said the woman, from Kedah, who works as a ticket counter clerk for a different bus company, had known the man from Kuala Lumpur for the past five months.

He added that both of them questioned for about two hours and were detained today, with a remand application to be made at the Jasin Magistrate's Court tomorrow.

"Investigations are being carried out under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act.

"Based on his statement, the man, who has 10 years' experience as a bus driver, said the incident lasted about a few minutes before entering the main highway route," he said.

Earlier today, the bus driver turned up at the Jasin police headquarters to give his statement.

He arrived around 4.30pm in a Proton Persona, driven by a person believed to be a family member.

He was accompanied by a female companion.

Police confirmed yesterday that the driver is married but had not yet determined the identity of the woman.

On April 13, the Road Transport Department (RTD) launched an investigation into the incident.

In the clip, believed to have been recorded by a passenger, the woman is seen handling the steering wheel while sitting on the driver's lap as the bus was in motion.

A separate video, purportedly captured via dashcam from a trailing vehicle, also surfaced online showing what is believed to be the same bus swerving through traffic.

Based on social media posts, the express bus is believed to have been travelling from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), Kuala Lumpur, to Kulai, Johor, when the incident occurred.

In the eight-second viral clip, the driver was seen with the woman seated on his lap while entering the Bemban Rest and Service Area (R&R) in Jasin, heading south around 7.30pm last Sunday.

The driver, who was with bus operator Sri Maju Group, has since been sacked. - NST