The road to death

The horror of being in a burning bus is unimaginable. The tragic death of 45 people in the recent bus accident calls for not just a judicial probe but an inquiry into the working of private bus operators.

Many middle class people, executives, businessmen and job-seekers are compelled to travel long distance by luxury private buses, due to the non-availability of train tickets at short notice and non-affordability of flight tickets. The Jabbar Travels incident is not the only major fatal accident in recent times. Last year, a Sree Kaleswari Travels bus from Hyderabad to Shirdi met with an accident in which 32 people perished. A Kesineni Travels bus accident killed seven. There have been several other minor accidents. All these were due either to the human error on the part of the driver or mechanical faults in the bus.

In the latest incident, the sleepy driver hit a road divider and an iron grille pierced into the diesel tank leading to the fuel tank bursting instantly. The bus had no emergency exits, and the passengers were trapped inside. There were no hammers kept inside with which the glass windows of the AC bus could have been broken open.

Volvo India has claimed that they fix emergency doors only for the buses purchased by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, and not for buses purchased by other private operators. It appears these private operators avoid fixing emergency doors so that they can accommodate a few extra seats.

But the question is: how can a multinational company like Volvo supply buses that do not have basic safety features such as exit doors?

Blatant disregard

Private bus operators, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, are a law unto themselves. Many large fleets are owned and run by politicians through their proxies. Hence, these operators have no fear of the law. They employ ill-trained and illiterate drivers. They do not appoint co-drivers, to take turns at the wheel, even on long trips. There have been instances when the driver has been drunk or has fallen asleep at the wheel. And the buses don’t have even basic safety features, such as emergency exits. The drivers are not provided even rudimentary training on how to handle accidents or emergencies.

Private operators are focused only on making profits. The fares are generally high. During the peak season or during festivals and holidays, these operators fleece customers by doubling the fare.

Some measures can be taken to ensure that private bus operators do not play with the money and lives of passengers.

Some measures

Drivers should meet certain qualifications and they should go through training and orientation.

Each bus should have two drivers. The road transport authorities and the police should do regular surprise checks on highways to check on the condition of the driver, the fitness of the bus, the validity of documents and so on. Fares should be regulated based on distance and type of bus. Strict action should be taken against operators leasing their buses to others to keep a check on fly by night operators. (The ill-fated Volvo bus was registered in the name of Divakar Travels but leased to Jabbar Travels.)

Bus manufacturers should be mandated not to supply buses without basic safety features. Online bus booking agencies should display on their websites the safety features of vehicles being operated by each operator. Proper communication devices should be put in place between the driver and the operator’s office.

(The author is a finance and management professional. The views are personal.)

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