Woman who fell in double-decker bus loses lawsuit against SBS Transit, driver

A woman who fell while climbing the stairs of a double-decker bus has lost a civil negligence suit against transport operator SBS Transit (SBST) and the bus driver.

- Selina Lum

In a written judgment published on Feb 11, a district judge said it was unfortunate that the woman was injured and that he sympathised with the pain and suffering she experienced. The judgment did not give details of her injuries.

"Nevertheless, the fault did not lie with the second defendant's driving," said District Judge Samuel Wee. He said that based on the video footage from the bus, it appeared that the woman missed a step, lost her balance and fell as the bus moved off from the bus stop.

When she was cross-examined in court, she confirmed she was fit, robust and did not require any mobility aid to get to the upper deck of the bus.

Judge Wee also noted that she had chosen to find a seat on the upper deck instead of the lower deck, which had available seats.

The passenger, Madam Tran Thi Phuong Nga, was in her late 60s when she boarded the bus on Feb 17, 2020.

Carrying a bag of food in her right hand, she climbed the steps to the upper deck while holding the handrail with her left hand. As she reached the top of the stairs, the bus moved off and she fell.