Bus driven with mobile torch after headlights conk off near Hubballi

HUBBALLI: In an unusual incident which highlights the lack of maintenance of government buses, the headlights of a NWKRTC bus failed midway, and the bus continued its journey with the help of mobile phone torches of some passengers near Hubballi on Friday night..

A North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus driver allegedly drove through a pitch-dark rural stretch in Dharwad district using passengers’ mobile phone flashlights after the vehicle’s headlights stopped working due to an electrical fault.

The bus had… pic.twitter.com/uT8wxqfH06

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The bus was going from Hubballi to Attigeri and left Hubballi at 8 pm. When it reached the Sanshi bus stand in Kundagol taluk, both the headlights conked off. With no possibility of immediate repair, passengers inside bus switched on the torches of their mobile phones and provided light with the help of which the driver drove bus ahead.

It is said bus travelled from Sanshi via Gudageri to Attigeri, a distance of 12 km in about an hour, with the help of mobile torch light itself.

Buses travelling without headlights at night time has raised serious question about passengers’ safety. Regular commuters pointed out that with the free travel scheme for women in force, maintenance of buses is being neglected at the cost of passengers’ safety.