Experts warn overloaded buses: heavy vehicles fuel road tragedies in TG

Following heavy vehicle accidents, the road safety experts have stressed a combination of safety measures focused on controlling overloading of carriers or overcrowding of buses, over-speeding and vehicle condition. The experts urged the State Transport Department to be proactive in their enforcement efforts.

In the last 10 days, the state witnessed two major road accidents with nearly 40 deaths of the people in two Telugu states. On October 24, a private bus going to Bengaluru from Hyderabad burst into flames in Kurnool district after colliding with a bike, killing 19 people.

On Monday, 19 persons lost their lives when an RTC bus from Tandur to Hyderabad was crushed under a gravel-laden tipper truck near Mirzaguda in Chevella in Ranga Reddy district.

The experts highlighted that the preliminary police investigations revealed that both vehicles were carrying excess load. The truck was overloaded with gravel, while the RTC bus had far more passengers than its permitted capacity.

Opinions are that an overloaded truck and an overcrowded bus were a deadly combination, regardless of who was at fault. Poor road conditions and failure to deploy enough buses to handle passenger rush were also being cited as major causes.

The experts said that the Mahalakshmi scheme has caused overcrowding on TGSRTC buses by significantly increasing daily commute, especially among women.

Earlier, the state-run buses used to transport over 50 lakh passengers in the state but now following the scheme it has crossed 66 lakh passengers, with the same fleet of buses.

“In the tragic accident that occurred in Chevella on Monday, 14 female and five male passengers lost their lives. The incident was caused by overcrowding, which also underscores the need for adequate bus services under the existing state transport schemes,” said R. Nageshwar, a road safety expert.

It has been witnessed that the buses are running overcrowded across the state. The buses are accommodating more passengers than the capacity. The bus which collided with the tipper was accommodating more than 70 passengers.

Mohammed Asif Hussain, another expert highlighted that the RTA officers must act on the RTC buses for overcrowding. When overloaded, the vehicle becomes unbalanced, which can result in accidents.

Citing the example of the inspection by the Jagtial district transport officials in July last year, Asif Hussain said, “The Jagtial transport officials seized the state-run bus for carrying 112 passengers, which was supposed to carry 55 passengers. Since then, there were no reports of the RTA inspecting RTC buses,” said Asif Hussain.

Sri Harsha, a member of the Road Squad Team dedicated to promoting road safety across the country, said that the overloading of buses is a serious concern. It can only be controlled when both the government and the public understand the risks involved. The long-term solution lies in increasing the number and frequency of buses so that passengers are not forced to travel unsafely.

Furthermore, the Tipper lorries are often used for shuttle services repeatedly travelling on the same stretches of roads. This familiarity tends to create overconfidence among drivers, leading to over speeding and careless driving, pointed out Harsha.

He said that a major reason behind the frequent heavy vehicle accidents is the lack of proper driver training. In many cases, cleaners gradually become drivers without undergoing any structured training. This poses serious risks on highways.

“In Telangana, there are only a few Institutes of Driver Training and Research such as those in Karimnagar, Sangareddy. For RTC drivers Warangal and Hyderabad training institutes are available, which are insufficient to meet the state’s growing demand.

The government should encourage and support private sector participation in establishing more high-quality driver training institutes across all districts,” said Harsha.

The member of the Road Squad Team said that strict enforcement is equally important. Installation of dashcams in all heavy vehicles and periodic monitoring by independent audit teams can greatly enhance accountability and road safety standards.

The road safety experts urged the authorities to fill potholes and resurface damaged patches, install lane reflectors, signage, and rumble strips, enforce speed limits and driver rest regulations and deploy night highway patrols.