BMTC bus hits divider in Vijayanagar; Conductors to keep watch on drivers

BENGALURU: A BMTC electric bus climbed over a road divider at an underpass near Vijayanagar in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening. Dashcam footage from a car shows the BMTC electric bus hitting the road divider as the driver lost control.

In the video, the bus can be seen bus skidding, hitting the divider and jumping on to the other lane, narrowly avoiding a major disaster. Luckily, none of the bus passengers were injured or lives lost in the incident.

With the number of accidents involving electric buses in Bengaluru increasing, despite efforts by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to control them, the transport utility has now instructed the conductors of the electric buses to monitor the drivers and report any instances of reckless driving or misconduct to the depot managers.

The conductors will be responsible for keeping a close eye on the drivers’ behavior, driving skills and interactions with passengers. If a conductor fails to report any issues and an accident occurs, they will also face action. The BMTC has already suspended three to four electric bus drivers and has warned that conductors who fail to report issues will also be held accountable.

The BMTC will take action against drivers based on the inputs provided by the conductors, and the corporation has instructed the lessee companies that own the buses to take immediate action against drivers who are found to be negligent.

Prabhakar Reddy, BMTC chief traffic manager, said, “We have given clear instruction to all conductors that if they find out about speeding and reckless driving of drivers, they should bring it to the attention of the depot manager. All EV buses should not skip any bus stops, and drivers should not do dangerous driving. If they violate any rules, conductors should bring it to the attention of the contractors. The department will issue notice to those drivers and dismiss them immediately. Conductors should report the phenomenon of the whole day to the depot manager. The department is sensitising them on safe driving”.