Not the BEST track record

With a fleet of more than 16,000,MSRTC buses have in a year been involved in 3,400 accidents,leading to 550 deaths. However,BEST’s rate of accidents has abated since 2007 even as its fleet size has increased by 30 per cent to 4,643 in 2011. The number of accidents has dropped by almost 25 per cent.

An RTO official,who did not wish to be named,said considering the stressful conditions they drive under,BEST drivers have much better traffic sense than drivers of autorickshaws or two-wheelers. Often accidents take place because pedestrians don’t follow traffic rules.

“Considering the traffic in Mumbai,the job of a bus driver is more difficult than an MSRTC driver’s. Providing dedicated bus lanes and conducting mental and physical check-ups of a bus driver can reduce the number of accidents,” said Ashok Datar,a city-based transportation expert. A plan of creating dedicated bus lanes,which was proposed more than two years ago,is yet to see the light of day.

BEST does not conduct any periodical physical or mental medical check-ups of its drivers. The only medical examinations it provides are eye check-ups for drivers above 40 years of age.

Datar said conducting regular medical check-ups is a must considering the conditions they work under. “BEST’s tight financial condition has somehow dented its morale to take such measures,” he added.

However,BEST officials feel frequent medical tests are not necessary for BEST drivers and the organisation is not likely to face a situation like the one MSRTC had come across in Pune.

On January 25,Santosh Mane,a supposedly unstable MSRTC driver,drove a bus out of Pune’s Swargate depot and sped through the city for nearly 45 minutes,crushing eight persons to death and knocking down vehicles on the way. His wife said Mane was stressed out from being forced to drive long routes.

“We have never encountered a situation where a driver was found mentally unstable or overly stressed out,” said S M Karlekar,assistant general manager of transport engineering at BEST. “State transport drivers have to go to different cities,stay away from their families for days on end and mostly work alone,while BEST bus drivers work within the city and return to their families after their shift.”

Unlike MSRTC drivers,the BEST drivers work in groups and interact with other employees frequently at depots and in the workmen vehicles. Being able to share tensions with fellow employees is a big stress buster for them,he said.