TWO buses with defects have been impounded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Acting media liaison officer Alfred Wiliame said the two buses impounded at their Valelevu yard belonged to a bus company from the Western Division.
He said an enforcement team directed the buses to the LTA premises after noticing thick black smoke being emitted and upon further inspection found other major defects such as defective handbrake and shaking steering wheel among others.
"This is where our strategy on enforcement keeps a monitoring check on the buses on the roads," Mr Wiliame said in a statement.
"We are aware of some of these buses being mobilised and have not maintained their conditions to standards," he said.
"Our strategy is to ensure our monitoring process is in par with what is in the code of standards for buses and with the effective issuance of defect orders to get the repairs done immediately or as soon as 14 days of the given notice.
"All this is in accordance to Regulation 106 of the Land Transport (Vehicle Registration and Construction) Regulation 2000 that governs an enforcement officer to remove a vehicle from the road if there's defects that is of major status," he added.
Mr Wiliame reiterated that safety was a major focus regarding public transportation.
He said members of the public should be made aware that their travel in any public mode of transport was safe for them and that they were free from any form of discomfort and fear.
Mr Wiliame said bus companies had undergone a training process that encompassed safety by a document that was known as the Quality Assurance Maintenance System (QAMS).
"The QAMS ensures that all the bus operators must maintain proper bus fleets and checked prior to their departure for the day's service," he said.
"Bus owners are expected to see that their drivers are well briefed before they leave the bus depot."
Mr Wiliame said all bus operators must take ownership of their bus fleets so that proper and safer buses were used for the travelling public.