KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians are urging school bus and van drivers to conduct thorough checks to ensure no students are left behind after a recent incident raised concerns.
The incident, shared by user @Ahmad Syafiee, involved him assisting a child trapped inside a school bus after hearing her screams.
"I stepped outside with my daughter to listen to the azan and suddenly heard someone screaming, which grew louder over time.
"I tried to look into the bus and was shocked to see a schoolgirl screaming and crying for help to get out," he told the New Straits Times.
Syafiee described the child as already looking pale since the weather that day was extremely hot.
He then helped the child exit via the window since he could not locate the driver's number and the bus doors were locked.
Upon noticing the phone number printed on the name tag worn by the child, he reached out to the child's mother.
"Based on information from the mother, she said she already contacted the bus driver, but the driver said the child did not board the bus.
"I really hope this incident serves as a lesson for the bus company to strengthen their standard operating procedures in checking the seats before stopping their service," he said.
Many social media users were concerned about the child, and some said it was a careless act by the bus driver as it could have endangered the child.
"There's no proper ethics. Those are the kids he's responsible for. How could he not notice a child sleeping on the bus? Show some concern, after the trip, check seat by seat. Hey, don't stress me out during the fasting month," commented @Elina Elle Abdul Mudtalib.
"Unimaginable how the child must be feeling. Just starting school and already facing this. Worried about potential trauma," said user @Supiandi Bin Suyadi.