All passenger transport buses will be required to undergo a mandatory roadworthiness inspection after every 5,000 kilometres of operation, the National Council for Road Safety (NCRS) has announced.
The measure is aimed at tightening safety standards for the country’s bus fleet by ensuring that mechanical defects are identified and corrected at regular intervals, rather than only at annual revenue-licence renewals. Officials have repeatedly cited driver negligence and vehicle defects as leading causes of accidents involving public transport.
The 5,000-kilometre requirement forms part of a wider push to improve the condition of vehicles carrying passengers. The Council has separately moved to roll out nationwide safety inspections of public transport vehicles, and has begun recruiting technical officers to carry out the assessments and confirm that buses are fit for service before they operate on public roads.
Road-safety advocates have long pressed for stricter mechanical oversight of the bus sector, pointing to overloaded schedules, ageing vehicles and poor maintenance as persistent risks. The NCRS said the new inspection cycle is intended to make roadworthiness checks a routine, mileage-based obligation for operators across the island.
Further details on enforcement, inspection centres and penalties for non-compliance are expected as the programme is implemented.
