'Will develop thorough SOP for all wet-lease bus operators'

MUMBAI: It has been nearly a century since the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking started operating buses in the city.

- Yogesh Naik and Shashank Rao

The last 98 years have seen several accidents involving BEST buses, but perhaps none of them have been as tragic as the one that occurred on Monday in Kurla, when an electric BEST bus ploughed into several pedestrians and vehicles, killing seven people and injuring 42 others.

At a time when BEST is being criticised for its wet-lease model, where a contractor takes care of operations including hiring and training drivers, the general manager of the undertaking, Anil Diggikar, told Yogesh Naik and Shashank Rao that a thorough standard operating procedure (SOP) will be developed for all wet-lease operators.

Diggikar said there was no fault in the electric wet-lease bus involved in the Kurla crash, but opened up on various issues plaguing the undertaking and how it plans to avoid such accidents in the future.

What went wrong that led to the accident in Kurla?

What were the findings from the initial examination of the bus?

RTO officers and our team of engineers found no fault in the vehicle. As per news reports, [bus driver Sanjay More] confessed that by mistake, he pressed the accelerator, thinking it was the brake, and lost control of the bus. These electric buses do not have engines; they are automatic vehicles with an accelerator and a brake. The team inspected the brake fuses last evening (December 10) and found them to be normal.

Do you feel the training imparted to the driver was adequate?