Hino Hands Over School Bus To The Community Chest To Ferry SJK (T) Kangar Students

Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (HMSM) recently handed over a mini school bus to The Community Chest (TCC), a non-government (NGO) charitable organization. The Hino XZU720L1 Mini Bus (Hino Mini Bus) was bought at a special price by TCC and is meant to be a donation to SJK (T) Kangar in Perlis. The Hino Mini Bus will be used to ferry the students to and from school.

In less urban areas where public transportation is lacking, or where both parents are working and can’t afford time off to send or pick up their school-going children, school attendance can be a challenge. Many children do not have any other choice but to walk or cycle to school and as such are exposed to many dangers. The Hino Mini Bus is intended to make it easier and safer for the children to attend school as well as extra-curricular activities. The aim is to improve the students’ attendance.

“For the past eight years, TCC has been involved in and contributed to numerous school building construction, renovations for upgrading of classrooms and facilities enhancement projects. This bus sponsorship program is The Community Chest’s first initiative in the area of movable asset contribution to school and we are glad to have formed a smart partnership with Hino Motors Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd in providing this 25-seater school bus benefitting the only Tamil school in Perlis,” said Mr Tan Kong Han, The Community Chest Administrator.

TCC was established by the private sector in 2011 to promote and support education for the Malaysian community. The charitable organization believes education is a strong pillar for future generation development.

The NGO focuses on supporting non-profit learning institutions or those who do not receive sufficient funding from the State or Federal Government or the community. It aims to assist in the establishment, development and advancement of such learning institutions to transform and improve the quality of education in Malaysia.

The Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) of SJK (T) Kangar had submitted their request to TCC for a school bus due to the concerns for the safety of the students.

A simple handover ceremony was held at Hino’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya where Mr. Ken Iwamoto, Managing Director of HMSM, officially presented the bus memento to Mr. Tan Kong Han, the Administrator from TCC. In turn, TCC presented a mock key to Mr. Sreetharan Selwaraju, the Chairman of PIBG SJK (T) Kangar.

“The initiative taken by both parties, TCC and PIBG SJK (T) Kangar, is a great action that may contribute to enhance the pupils comfort and also help less fortune families and those in need,” said Mr. Iwamoto. “Ensuring children’s safety on the road is part of our responsibility. With this initiative, we can increase their safety when traveling on the road to and from school,” he added.

In Malaysia, Hino is the leader in mini bus segment and continues to develop products inline with its tagline, ‘Hino is always about Quality, Durability and Reliability’.

The Hino Mini Bus is equipped with a powerful 156 PS engine and 6-speed manual transmission. Further, the mini bus has Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) features which helps the driver maintain control of the vehicle during emergency braking or braking on slippery roads. These safety features enable the vehicle to stop in a shorter distance than vehicles without them.

The Hino Mini Bus uses tubeless tyres that will prevent instant failure in case of a puncture. This allows the driver to drive an additional distance to a safer place for tyre change. Tubeless tyres also help reduce fuel consumption as they are lighter and have lower rolling resistance. Other safety features in the Hino Mini Bus are Energy-Absorbing Steering Wheel and Speed Limiter setting at 100km/h.

Mr. Iwamoto also declared that all Hino vehicles, including the buses, can run on B10 biodiesel without any changes to any component or service interval.

Furthermore, to comply with the Malaysian government’s Safety, Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP), Hino is taking the initiative to improve the level of professionalism and driving skills for commercial vehicle drivers through its Hino Total Support Customer Center (HTSCC) in Sendayan. At this centre, customers and drivers have the opportunity to undergo the necessary training program that focuses on driver safety, eco-cien driving, and driver familiarisation. These training programmes are aimed to increase the number of skilled drivers here in Malaysia.