Less than a week after a BEST bus crash in Malad East claimed the life of a cab driver, another accident involving a wet-lease BEST bus in Dadar on Monday left one person dead and six injured.
According to police, the accident took place around 9.30 am near Veer Kotwal Garden, close to Plaza Cinema in Dadar (West), when an electric BEST bus operating on Route 463 allegedly lost control, rammed a crane and then ploughed into five vehicles, including a private car, taxi, Uber cab and two-wheelers.
The deceased was identified as 28-year-old Swiggy delivery executive Niyaz Ahmad, who was declared dead on arrival at Sion Hospital. Another delivery worker, 22-year-old Rishabh Gupta, is undergoing treatment for severe head and chest injuries.
Several others, including BEST employees and pedestrians, were also injured. Among them was BEST ticket inspector Satish Waghambare (48), who suffered injuries on his chest and hip while attempting to rescue trapped victims.
“The bus was proceeding towards Veer Kotwal Garden near Shivaji Mandir when the incident occurred. As soon as we saw the victim being struck by the bus, I rushed to the spot along with other staff members and pulled him out,” Waghambare said from his hospital bed.
Waghambare also raised concerns about the operational characteristics of electric buses. “This incident may not have happened had it been an older diesel bus. One of the issues with electric buses is their instant acceleration, unlike petrol or diesel vehicles, which take a few seconds to pick up speed,” he said.
The bus driver Vikas Padare (42), who suffered an injury to his left leg and was undergoing treatment at Sion Hospital, said that he had lost control of the bus.
“We have been highlighting issues related to electric buses for some time. The handbrake does not operate as smoothly as it does in diesel or petrol buses. The vehicle suddenly accelerated and went out of my control,” Padare said.
Another injured BEST employee, ticket inspector Mahesh Doiphode (50), also pointed to concerns regarding the functioning of electric buses.
The accident has once again drawn attention to the increasing dependence of BEST on privately operated wet-lease buses. According to BEST data, wet-lease buses were involved in accidents that claimed 19 lives in 2024-25 and 21 lives in 2025-26. In comparison, BEST’s self-owned fleet was involved in accidents that resulted in eight fatalities during the same period.
With Monday’s incident, the death toll in BEST-related accidents has touched 50 over the past two years.
The latest crash comes barely days after a 50-year-old cab driver was killed when a BEST bus rammed his parked car in Malad East, prompting fresh questions about maintenance standards, drivers’ working conditions and oversight of private operators.
Following Monday’s accident, BEST Committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao convened an emergency meeting with senior BEST officials and representatives of wet-lease operators, including Tata Motors, Switch Mobility and Olectra.
At the meeting, Vishwasrao sought details on whether buses were undergoing mandatory inspections before leaving depots and directed operators to strengthen maintenance systems and recruit additional technical staff wherever required.
The discussions also revealed a severe shortage of drivers employed by private contractors operating buses for BEST. “There is a dearth of drivers hired by private contractors because of which drivers are forced to work overtime. We have issued strict instructions to operators to stop assigning overtime duties,” Vishwasrao said.
According to BEST officials, contractors currently face a shortage of nearly 700-800 drivers. Officials also said many drivers earn between Rs 17,000 and Rs 18,000 a month, forcing some to take up additional driving jobs during their mandatory rest periods, increasing physical and mental stress.
Officials said the driver involved in Monday’s accident had been employed by the contractor since 2021 and had already completed one trip from Dharavi earlier in the day.
A four-member committee has been constituted by BEST to investigate the incident. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde and Vishwasrao also visited Sion Hospital to check the condition of Rishabh Gupta,and assured his family that BEST would bear the cost of his treatment. The wet-lease contractor was also directed to provide an immediate financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family.
The Shivaji Park police registered an FIR against the driver under Sections 281, 125 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The BEST bus, operating on Route No. 463/31, allegedly crashed into a four-wheeler and a two-wheeler before striking pedestrians in the vicinity. (Express Photo) 
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