Private bus operators violate all norms

Wednesday’s bus mishap at Mahabubnagar has thrown the spotlight on the brazen manner in which rules relating to safe transport of people and freight are violated by most private operators. Although some bus manufacturers choose to train drivers for safe driving and evacuation of passengers in the case of an emergency, many operators do not insist on their drivers undergoing such training. Making matters worse, they hire a few drivers and make them do almost double shifts.

• Overloading is common

• Speeding is the norm

• Drivers lack of rest as they work long hours skimping on sleep

• Registers are not maintained properly

Fingers are being pointed at private bus operators in light of the horrific bus accident at Mahbubnagar on Wednesday that claimed 45 lives. Many people travel by private buses for overnight journeys. But how many private players ensure that all of their buses are operated safely and in accordance with rules and regulations laid down by the RTA authorities? Sadly, few of them adhere to the rules. The question of safety is hardly of interest to most of them.

Most of the operators are known to brazenly flout rules under the Motor Vehicles Act as well as the safety norms followed by bus manufacturers. Some of these blatant violations are often seen by passengers while travelling, but few choose to register protest. Most people simply ignore the violations as if it is not their concern.

Buses that ferry passengers crossing state boundaries are given point-to-point permit, like in the case of non-stop RTC bus or shuttle services. In such cases, the operator is not permitted to take along passengers en route or operate the bus as stage carrier. Still, most operators brazenly flout these rules. Even in the bus accident that took place in Mahabubnagar on Wednesday, the driver took passengers in between.

The aisle in AC sleeper and semi-sleeper buses is usually very narrow. Many of us would have seen the coach attendant sleeping in the narrow way. So do passengers who board the bus mid-way. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, the bus shouldn’t carry more passengers than the number of seats in it when it is going on a long or night journey. In the case of the bus which went up in flames at Mahabubnagar on Wednesday, there were 51 passengers, though its capacity is 44. Such overloading is seen in all private buses usually before festivals when hometown-bound passengers outnumber the seats available in all buses put together. So, people even accept the option of standing beside the driver or sitting/sleeping in the aisle.

Rules specify that if the bus is travelling overnight, there should be two drivers who should alternate between 2.5 hrs a shift each. This isn’t happening in most of the cases. Even if both the drivers are on board, one will drive for six hours and the other the next six. In the case of Volvo bus mishap on Wednesday, there was only one bus driver.

Passenger buses are not supposed to carry freight, but that isn’t the case with most of the private operators. It is a common practise that we often use private passenger buses to send freight. Many of us would have sent even bikes. AC sleeper and semi-sleeper buses from manufacturers like Volvo, ISUZU etc are made such that no luggage is carried atop the bus. But it is common to see buses carrying heavy loads on roof, just by welding four steel casings atop

Volvo and other manufacturers have designed the luggage space in the underbelly, but not over the heads of passengers so that the passengers do not suffer any head injuries if the bus wobbles and the luggage falls on them. But all the operators have customised their buses and installed top rack. In such vehicles, if the private bus employs two drivers, one of them sleeps in the underbelly luggage space, while the passengers are asked to keep their luggage on the rack above their heads. This correspondent has witnessed such a scenario happening in buses operating between Hyderabad and Vishakapatnam.

Commenting on this, Vinod Kanumala, founder of the Indian Federation for Road Safety (IFROS) said, “Passenger buses are not supposed to carry freight, but that isn’t the case with most of the private operators. It is a common practise that we often use private passenger buses to send freight. Many of us would have sent even bikes. AC sleeper and semi-sleeper buses from manufacturers like Volvo, ISUZU etc are made such that no luggage is carried atop the bus. But it is common to see buses carrying heavy loads on roof, just by welding four steel casings atop.”

Rules stipulate that the operators have to maintain a separate register for each bus to record and provide the details of every trip, bus and driver.

They should maintain passengers’ list both at the office and in the bus. Yet, the operators turned a deaf ear to these norms. This was clearly seen on Wednesday when Jabbar Travels had a list with the names of only 33 people, while there were 51 of them on board.

Not only private operators, but also the authorities are at fault. In case the bus crosses state boundaries, there should be checking at the check posts, but this isn’t happening always.

Speeding is another bane. For reasons one cannot easily fathom, some time back the central government proposed to increase the maximum speed limit from 80 kmph to 120 kmph on highways and expressways. All the state transport departments opposed it, yet the Centre went ahead with its proposal. A senior official with the RTA said that back when speed limit was 80 kmph vehicles used to zoom at 100-120 kmph, but now it is 120 officially and they are zooming at 150. Even the best designed vehicles in terms of safety cannot be controlled at 150.

Safety

Volvo, ISUZU and other bus manufacturers design buses that are amenable to safety norms. Before releasing a bus in the market, 10 buses are wrecked. They subject the buses to all types of accidents that might occur and create the same scenario and test during the demos of the buses. It is only after intense testing for about two years that a new variant of the bus is released in the market.

All this leads us to crucial questions: Do we, as passengers, know about safety? Are the operators, who ought to demonstrate the escape routes, doing that?

“In all the variants by all the manufactures of AC semi-sleeper and sleeper buses, there are four emergency exists -- two at the rear and two in front. There are also hammers placed at four places, two on each side in the front and two below the seats at the back, apart from two fire extinguishers. The glass used for the windows in the buses can be broken easily with the help of the hammer provided or by using any sharp instrument. Moreover, we at Volvo make sure that when a customer comes to purchase a vehicle, we train the drivers to perform operations of the vehicles. We also give them classes on driving and safety,” shared Satyanarayana, PR Volvo Bus India.

Commenting on the driver of the ill-fated bus, Feroz, who was driving when the accident occurred, he said, “We have trained around 25,000 drivers over the past years. We have the log and we are trying to get the details,” he added.

Lack of awareness

Vinod Kanumala said, “Lack of awareness and technological advances being very redundant are the pivotal causes for incidents like these. Here, undoubtedly the driver was at fault. He was speeding and was too negligent. He was in a rush to reach the city and that cost 45 innocent lives.”

He continued, “People and drivers must know all the specifications of a bus and what are the safety equipment they are provided with. The main problem that arises at this juncture is lack of awareness.”

The customer care in-charge of Kallada Travels Venkateshvaran said, “Drivers in Kallada Travels are the ones who are certified by Volvo and are well-equipped with an evacuation plan for the passengers in case of any emergency.” He also added that passengers need to be guided about emergency exits and what they can possibly do in case of an emergency just before they start their journey, just like how they do it before a flight is about to take off.

Apparently, when APSRTC launched Garuda bus service, during the initial months they had a safety briefing. But gradually they stopped doing it.

What a passenger can do?

According to Road Safety experts:

• A passenger must check the condition of the vehicle

• He must check for the driver and co driver

• He must make sure none of the two are in an inebriated condition

• He must check for safety amenities like hammer, belts, etc

• A passenger must not carry any flammable material

• One must demand for a safety briefing before they start off for a journey

What about drivers

Dheerendra, a safety expert from the SIAM, said, “The drivers must be updated about various safety equipment and features. The main problem in today’s scenario is that the vehicles are too technologically advanced and sophisticated vehicles, but the drivers are not. In most cases, they are not even aware of their proper use, be it cruise control, anti-lock-braking system et al. Even the drivers are less informed and have a callous attitude in learning them.”

Vinod Kanumala added, “Every travel agency must make it mandatory for every driver to attend an orientation programme on road safety and use of new equipment.”

Apart from teaching them new techniques, there are various factors which need to be considered about the drivers. According to him, “The lifestyle of most inter-state bus drivers is pitiable.

They drive continuously for hours at a stretch at night from one state to another. The next day they have to come back for duty and there is no surety over proper sleep for them. To stay awake, many drivers tend to play loud music at night travels, but that irks the passengers.