Bangalore: Bus staff need to demo safety steps

Hundreds of thousands of passengers travel by buses from Bangalore to other destinations every day, but not many are aware of what to do in case of emergencies such as the fire in a Volvo that killed 45 people Wednesday morning.

But, many buses have no emergency exit to ensure quick and safe evacuation of passengers in case of a mishap. Small hammers are placed near window frames in many Volvo buses. In case a passenger lifts the hammer, a beep can be heard. But a random check by dna team on Thursday revealed neither the bus crew nor the passengers are aware of the safety measures to be followed during emergencies.

“I was traveling to Goa from Bangalore a few months ago by a Volvo bus. In Goa, road transport department officials stopped the bus as the operator had no valid permit. During the lasting more than 30 minutes, the door was locked and we felt suffocated,” says Mahalakshmi, a media professional. Asked if the bus contained hammers to break the glass of windows during emergencies, Mahalakshmi said saw no such equipment.

Echoing her opinion, Surupasree Sarmmah said during her journeys she never come across such hammers or any other tool in the bus to break open the glass of window. “I feel the bus crew should tell passengers about the hammer and how to use it during emergencies,’’ said Sarmmah.

Photographer Ananth Subramanyam says he had noticed the hammer during his journeys by Volvos. “I took it out its holder and a continuous heep. I replaced it immediately,’’ said Ananth.

Many passengers feel that the staff of buses are only busy checking or issuing tickets or loading luggage and do not bother to inform of the safety steps that need to be taken by the passengers in case of emergencies.

When dna asked a crew member of National Travels about the emergency exit in the Volvo bus, he said old volvo vehicles had no emergency exit. Pointing out to a bus, Yusuf Khan, a crew member of National Travels said: “This bus was bought a few years ago. We put up hammers near windows of the bus for use by passengers during emergencies. They need to break of open the glass of windows with the hammer.’’

Yusuf said the Volvos have two exit points on the roof that can be used by passengers. A colleague of his said it was high time that bus operators train their crews to educate passengers about safety measures to be taken during emergencies.”It may take few minutes and it is worth it, but no one is educating the passengers,’’ he said.

Muniveere Gowda, joint commissioner, Transport, said an action plan was being prepared on how to avert bus mishaps. “We will organise a meeting with all private bus operators to discuss the safety measures. We will make it compulsory for the bus crew to explain the safety measures and how to use the hammer to break the glass of window during emergencies. It will apply to KSRTC buses too,’’ said Gowda.