BMTC electric buses involved in series of accidents, drivers indulge in rash driving

BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is the lifeline of commuters in the city. In the past, BMTC also had the tag of ‘killer’. But in recent days, the rash driving of the newly inducted EV buses has put innocent lives at risk. Even on roads with busy traffic, EV bus drivers are driving rashly.

Around 8.30 am last Saturday at KR Circle, in the heart of Bengaluru, a BMTC EV bus crashed into another EV bus that had stopped at the signal, and 13 people had to be hospitalised. The reason for this accident was the EV bus driver’s irresponsible driving. Even on Sunday evening near Laggere, an EV bus hit another BMTC bus and three people had to be hospitalised.

KR Circle signal where the accident happened is already a big junciton and BMTC electric bus drivers take a left-to-right turn from the extreme left lane. Not just that, even on the route coming from the Vidhana Soudha side at this same signal, the moment the signal turns green, the speed at which vehicles come is just too much.

It’s not just one or two EV bus drivers like this. Almost all the bus drivers who pass through here drive in the same rash manner. Even though there are bus stops, for some reason these bus drivers don’t stop the bus. And even when they do stop, they stop in the middle of the road. Along with that, some drivers don’t even go into the bus stop and just go speeding.

Even near the Sumanahalli signal on the Outer Ring Road, EV bus drivers are speeding and indulging in rash driving. Even though they know there is a signal, it has become common to come at full speed and stop instead of slowing down. Most buses coming from Majestic towards Magadi Road and Tumakuru Road come via Okalipuram.

Electric buses and drivers works for BMTC on outsourced/contract basis and do not come under the BMTC corporation’s purview. The drivers are involved in many road accidents due to rash driving in the city. These are just a few examples of the rash driving by EV BMTC bus drivers. Will the government at least now put a leash on the reckless driving of contract EV bus drivers?

Some recent EV bus accidents
Date – March 11
Place – Banashankari Bus Stand. An EV bus hit a woman who was standing. The woman, Mubeen Taj, died after the bus ran over her leg.
Date – June 19.
Place – Jnanabharathi, Manganahalli. Bus ran over a person who was walking. 58-year-old Raju died on the spot. Date – Feb 6
Place: KR Puram. 20-year-old Hanna Inaka from Manipur died after an EV bus hit a bike while going from Silk Board to Tin Factory.
Date – June 23.
Place – Kadugodi EV Bus Depot. Due to driver’s negligence, another driver got trapped under a bus and suffered serious injuries to his arm. The incident was caught on a local CCTV camera.
Date July 04
Place – KR Circle. 13 people injured in chain accident. Driver died.
Date July 05
Place – Laggere. A bus hit another bus going ahead, two people injured.