In 15 months, 26 killed in 161 bus accidents: Pune transport body

A collision between two buses on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road on August 1 caused renewed safety concerns of transport body commuters and also questions about the driving skills of the personnel employed by private contractors. The collision, in which 29 were injured, involved an e-bus from a private contractor and a CNG bus belonging to the PMPML.

As the data shows a higher number of accidents, both major and minor, involving contractual buses compared to the PMPML-owned buses, the management of the transport body is looking closely at the practices followed by the contractors.

Chairman and Managing Director of PMPML Sachindra Pratap Singh claimed that his officers informed him that drivers under contractors are working in double shifts and overtime, which causes the accidents. “I am ensuring that there is a zero tolerance policy of overtime working of drivers, either by the operators in the GCC model or by PMPML. PMPML won’t allow such things that come over the safety of citizens,” said CMD Singh.

Assistant Deputy Manager of the Emergency Department Ashok Sable said that drivers from both agencies are required to be skilled and undergo testing based on the guidelines set by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

In the event of accidents, compensation is provided to the victims’ families. The first nominee of the victim receives an immediate primary compensation of Rs two lakh, and further compensation is given as per court guidelines after the case is filed. Both employees and passengers are eligible for compensation from PMPML. Following the recent accident, passengers were taken to Sassoon Hospital for treatment. PMPML provided a check amount of Rs 50,000 to the hospital after obtaining the overall quotation.

Regarding the operation of BRTS routes, the corporation retains the authority to decide whether they should be operated or not. Until a final decision is made, PMPML buses continue to run on these routes.