BEST buses ‘roping’ in new safety norms

The passenger safety norms of the national bus body code for new public transport buses have been tied up in nylon ropes in city’s municipal buses, literally.

Most the new BEST non-AC buses that have been procured under the union urban development ministry-funded Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal mission (JNNURM) have an in-built auto-close door facility on them.

“But given the crowd and commuting scenario in city, the auto-close door facility in non-AC buses is very impractical. Commuters in the city also have the habit of catching or alighting from a running bus and if the door slides in such a scenario, it could be dangerous leading to accidents. The best way to avoid this is to tie them up firmly with ropes,” a senior BEST official said.

A senior official countered that it may not be the case for our entire fleet. “We do close doors in non-AC buses too wherever possible, and there is nothing like we have made it mandatory for doors to be kept open by tying them with ropes. There may have been stray cases,” he added.

When the JNNRUM extended loans to state governments they developed a standard bus body code, standard formula and specifications. BEST chairman Sanjay Potnis expressed surprise over the matter and said that he shall look into the matter and try and find a solution. The funds have been allocated to 15 cities, aiming to promote greener public transport and also to beat the impact of economic slowdown in automobile sector.