He continued consuming vodka while ferrying passengers on an SBS Transit bus even after having drunk over five hours before the start of his shift.

As a result, former bus captain Nagibullah Raja Saleem nodded off while at the wheel, veered into oncoming traffic and nearly crashed into several vehicles, alarming passengers who were on board.

The 27-year-old Singaporean was so intoxicated that his alcohol level was assessed to be 2.4 times the legal limit more than four hours after he finished his shift.

Nagibullah pleaded guilty on Wednesday (7 June) to one count of driving in a rash manner, one count of drink driving, and one count of using a mobile communication device while the bus was in motion.

A fourth charge of leaving the bus in a position likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience will be applied to be withdrawn following Nagibullah’s sentencing.

The court heard that from 10am to 3pm on 29 June last year, Nagibullah had consumed alcohol before driving bus service 162 at the start of his shift at 3.30pm.

Even as he drove the bus, Nagibullah kept taking swigs from a 330ml bottle of blackcurrant vodka, which he had placed on the left side of the driver’s seat.

A CCTV camera within the bus captured Nagibullah drinking from the bottle six times and driving recklessly between 4.15pm and 6.15pm, as he headed from Shenton Way bus terminal to Yio Chu Kang bus terminal.

While making a right turn from Keppel Road into Anson Road, Nagibullah failed to give way to oncoming traffic, resulting in a near-collision with a car.

Around 4.28pm, Nagibullah fell asleep at the wheel twice while the bus was still moving.

Later, he dozed off for over a minute with his head against the steering wheel after his bus came to a stop at a red traffic light. He remained asleep even after the traffic signal turned green and only woke up when a male passenger approached and asked him why the bus wasn’t moving.

While along Orchard Turn towards Orchard Boulevard at around 4.35pm, Nagibullah drove the bus into a lane meant for traffic in the opposite direction, causing alarmed passengers to shout “Hey! Hey! Hey!” at him.

The male passenger who spoke to Nagibullah earlier asked him if he was in a condition to drive since he had fallen asleep. Nagibullah indicated that he was able to do so. A female passenger approached Nagibullah and told him that she would report him if he did not drive carefully.

However, Nagibullah fell asleep again and failed to move off at a green traffic signal, despite motorists horning at him. The same female passenger again warned him that she would report him if he were to repeat his mistake.

While driving, Nagibullah’s bus would swerve sideways and encroach into other lanes, prompting other motorists to honk at him.

At one point, Nagibullah missed a bus stop despite passengers repeatedly pressing the bell. As a result, he alighted passengers along a bend in the road.

After the bus was off-service at around 5.37pm, Nagibullah drove it from Yio Chu Kang terminal to the Shenton Way bus terminal via the CTE.

While on the expressway, Nagibullah stopped the bus along the leftmost lane for some 45 seconds, forcing other vehicles to go around it. He also failed to brake when the bus was stationary, causing it to roll back slightly before he moved forward.

The CCTV camera also showed Nagibullah taking both hands off the steering wheel to check his mobile phone for 20 seconds as the bus was moving. He even picked up a passenger in the off-service bus but let the passenger alight a few minutes later.

After Nagibullah reached the bus terminal, he failed to park the bus properly and went against the bus depot’s flow of traffic.

When a timekeeping duty officer, who was informed about the incident, went to check on Nagibullah, he found Nagibullah at the driver’s seat with the engine still running.

The officer then asked Nagibullah to move to the passenger seat while he took over the parking. He also saw an empty vodka bottle in a plastic bag at the left side of the driver’s seat.

Police were informed of the incident and arrived at the bus terminal at around 9.19pm. Staff Sergeant Sritharan Subramaniam interviewed Nagibullah and found that his face was flushed with bloodshot eyes, and he was slurring.

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