Causeway Link bus collides into Stomper’s car with children onboard in JB, leaving them traumatised
A father’s drive home from Johor Bahru with his family turned into what he described as a terrifying ordeal after a Causeway Link bus allegedly collided with his car near the Causeway.
Stomper Anonymous said the incident happened on May 3 at about 11.36am. He was returning to Singapore with his wife and their two young children — aged two and six — after spending the long weekend in Desaru.
It was the family’s first time using the Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway (EDL).
According to the Stomper, he had inadvertently entered a lane designated for buses because the vehicle lanes were not clearly marked in advance.
“By the time there were signs to show which was the car lane, the queue was already bumper to bumper,” he told Stomp.
“I had no way to signal and slot myself into the queue. I had to wait to be let in once the car lane traffic moved forward.”
As he continued along the bus lane, he noticed a Causeway Link bus approaching from behind. The Stomper noticed that the bus lights were flashing and the driver was honking.
“I did what I could do to get out of his way and switch lanes. However, the driver responded by deliberately colliding into my car.”
According to the Stomper, he moved his car forward slightly after the impact so he could get out to inspect the damage.
“The moment I moved forward, he found enough space and drove off.”
Although the damage to his vehicle was limited to paint scrapes and a slight dent on the bumper that he could push out by hand, Anonymous said the emotional impact on his family was far greater.
“My kids are traumatised,” he said. “Whenever they see a bus near us, they ask me if that bus is going to hit us.”
The father added that he has not driven back into Johor Bahru since the incident as he does not feel safe.
In dashcam footage provided by Anonymous, a yellow Causeway Link bus can be seen travelling towards the Stomper’s vehicle.
The bus slows down as it approaches the Stomper’s car, and appears to inch forward while the Stomper tries to move his car away.
‘There was absolutely nothing I could do’
The Stomper said he felt helpless trying to report the incident.
As the incident occurred in Malaysia, he could not lodge a report with the Singapore Police Force.
He also said he was unable to lodge a police report in Malaysia because he had already entered the checkpoint and the online reporting portal appeared to be available only to Malaysian citizens and residents.
“The immigration officer at the checkpoint told me he couldn’t do anything as it was not his role to cover traffic violations,” alleged the Stomper.
“You can imagine how helpless I felt, knowing there was absolutely nothing I could do to protect my family.”
He contacted Causeway Link after returning to Singapore and said it took weeks of emails, phone calls and follow-ups before he was informed of the outcome of the company’s internal investigation.
According to an email thread seen by Stomp, Causeway Link had told the father of two that the bus captain would receive "firm disciplinary actions”.
The company added in its email: “This includes a formal warning placed on the driver’s record, mandatory re-training on defensive driving and safety compliance, as well as close monitoring of the driver’s performance moving forward.”
This did not sit well with Anonymous, who told Stomp: “If you have to retrain someone to teach them basic safety and road rules, then there’s a much bigger problem with the hiring criteria.”
Anonymous said he decided to approach Stomp almost two months after the incident as he had wanted to see how Causeway Link would respond.
“I wanted to see if Causeway Link was going to do the right thing and take appropriate action,” he said.
“Their lack of immediate action following both my complaint and video evidence, plus the level of disciplinary action taken, was ultimately very disappointing.”
He added: “I really can’t explain the feeling of helplessness I had as a father when it happened and the level of trauma my young children went through.”
Stomp has reached out to Causeway Link for comment.
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