The present unlucky mishap in Kurla, which asserted 12 lives and left 42 harmed, has really introduced the protection and safety of travelling by the use of BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) buses beneath sharp evaluation. Over the just about final 33 month, BEST buses, consisting of each had and rented automobiles, have really been related to 247 crashes, with rented buses accountable for most of lethal circumstances. Out of 247, 62 had been casualty.
Between April 2022 and December 10, 2024, 62 casualties had been reported, of which 40 included rented buses and 22 had been triggered by BEST-owned automobiles. The disconcerting fad has really elevated main issues concerning the protection and safety standards of damp lease buses, that are run beneath agreements with private service suppliers.
Leased Buses Under Fire
Leased buses made up an out of proportion number of crashes, consisting of 20 lethal circumstances in merely round 8 months of 2024. Passengers and employees members have really articulated increasing points concerning the integrity and security and safety of those automobiles. Reports of buses igniting, damaging down mid-journey, and encountering electrical battery breakdowns have really much more worn down public depend on.
In 2024 alone (as a lot as December tenth), damp lease buses videotaped 48 main and 11 small crashes, contrasted to 21 main and a couple of small crashes entailing BEST-owned buses. Since 2019, BEST has really boosted its dependence on rented buses, a relocation that has really run the gauntlet due to climbing points and security and safety gaps.
Electric Buses Under Scrutin y
Electric buses, hailed as a long-lasting treatment for metropolis transportation, have really moreover come beneath evaluation. This fiscal yr alone has really seen 12 casualties entailing electrical buses, consisting of two circumstances by Olectra Greentech, 8 by EV-Trans, and a couple of byTata Motors These crashes spotlight journalism demand for much higher security and safety techniques in electrical bus procedures.
Employee Concerns and Accountability
BEST presently makes use of over 7,200 long-term chauffeurs and seven,400 conductors, together with 6,563 contract-based chauffeurs and a couple of,340 contract-based conductors working with rented buses. Employees have really supposedly handled risks of discontinuation for elevating points concerning rented buses, dissuading them from reporting issues. However, vacationers stay to disclose frustration with the protection and safety and integrity of the answer.
To run its fleet, BEST has really concerned 6 service suppliers dealing with a complete quantity of 1,900 damp buses. These consists of 40 buses of Olectra Greentech, 275 buses of EV-Trans, 625 buses of Shree Maruti Travels, 340 buses of Tata Motors, 570 buses of Mateshwari Urban Transport enterprise and 50 buses of Switch Mobility enterprise. Apart from 1900 damp lease buses, BEST has really 1013 had buses.
