I was badly hurt by such a bar two weeks ago. I was heading from Little India on SBS service 48 and we were going along Bukit Timah Road quite fast when someone ran across the road. The driver slammed on the brakes so hard, everyone was thrown forward. I was thrown at high speed into the horizontal steel bar and smashed my chest into it.

The driver took me to hospital as I was in a lot of pain and shock. I was released after a few hours. But the pain has been bad for two weeks and is easing up only now. Breathing is uncomfortable, I find it hard to sleep and it has stopped me from working full time. I cannot do anything strenuous.

There should be some protective coating on these bars.

The new Euro 4 buses have protective rubber cover on the horizontal bars in the front seats on the upper decks but the older buses have nothing. This is a safety measure that could have been introduced easily and cheaply.

I am also surprised that as I am a hospital case and no doubt a reportable statistic, no one from SBS has contacted me to see how I am, discuss the case or offer compensation.

Ray Hogger