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The Pune state transport bus driver who wilfully misdirected his vehicle,running it like a battle tank through a busy street during the morning rush hour,killing eight people and injuring at least 27,was clearly a singular case. He battered on for a full 15 kilometres,unfazed by police firing. Whether or nor he is diagnosed with a mental disorder,Santosh Maruti Mane was at least temporarily unhinged when he committed this act.

But the outlier often has lessons for the general experience Manes wife claims he was under severe stress,travelling long routes. He had a record of minor accidents having been involved in at least five in his 11 years of service with the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. In fact,he had twice been denied pay increments,because of these mishaps. This is not to say the MSRTC could have anticipated this rampage but their belated effort to investigate the mental well-being of its 37,000 drivers signals a much-needed focus on the human beings at the wheel.

This is particularly relevant at a time when India is devoting so much energy and investment to the urban public transport project. In Pune and other towns,the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission has expanded and modernised bus systems,getting large,low-floor vehicles,creating dedicated bus lanes,etc. Important as the infrastructure is,its equally necessary to invest in the people in charge of buses and metros,to minimise human error and whim,to make sure working conditions are professional and humane. There should be a system to share information about drivers who move states. This doesnt apply only to those who drive heavy vehicles: all drivers need to pass stringent licence tests,and be periodically trained and tested. We also need a stricter enforcement and penalty regime. Thats the only way to mitigate our road accident rates the worst in the world,and to ensure better working environments for professional drivers.