“Human errors and lack of education led to the Kurla bus tragedy, suspect RTO officials.”
Soon after the accident, an investigation group of the Wadala RTO found that the brakes of the electrical bus made by Olectra had been working properly. Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials on Tuesday stated they suspect that “human errors” and “lack of right training” led to the tragic accident in Mumbai’s Kurla, in which a BEST bus fatally knocked down seven men and women and injured 42 others. Soon after the incident passed off on Monday night, an investigation group of the Wadala RTO observed that the brakes of the electrical bus made by Olectra had been operating properly. The e-bus operated with the aid of the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST); the challenge rammed into pedestrians and motors at around nine-thirty pm on Monday at the S G Barve Marg in Kurla (West).
Later, police arrested Sanjay More (54), who had taken the wheel of the unfortunate bus. A team from the Wadala RTO arrived at the scene several hours after the incident. Bharat Jadhav, the motor vehicle inspector, led the RTO team in completing the bus inspection at BEST’s Kurla depot this morning.
Mumbai police assisted BEST management in moving the bus from the Twist of Fate website at 12:30 am, and it arrived at Kurla depot around 1:15 am, according to the officers. Generally, motor vehicle inspectors check out the vehicles according to the laid-down method; however, due to the gravity of the incident, deputy RTO Pallavi Kothawade reached Kurla with other officials.
Efforts to reach out to Wadala RTO Ravi Gaikwad and Kothawade were unsuccessful. Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the RTO crew has investigated the bus, but they are still awaiting the file from Olectra’s engineers.
“Our team has conducted an investigation on the bus in accordance with the established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for its examination,” he said, adding that they will submit their research file to the Mumbai police.
After inspecting the bus, a reputable RTO, who wished to remain anonymous, informed PTI that the brakes were functioning properly.
However, after submitting their probe record, they want to investigate some greater matters, so they’ve sought a little information from each Olectra and BEST.
Initially, people suspected that brake failure might have caused the coincidence. Driver Moore’s circle of relatives also claimed that brake failure may have caused the incident.
His family members also asserted that he did not consume alcohol. The respectable stated it appears the bus motive force became green in using the automatic transmission bus without a snatch and gear like the traditional buses, and he changed into likely not given the right schooling earlier than being permitted to drive the 12-meter-long bus.
“If a driving force doesn’t have experience riding an automatic transmission bus, he would not get proper judgement of acceleration and braking first of all. Therefore, it appears that human error may have also contributed to the unfortunate outcome, he stated. During the RTO’s inspection of the accident-struck bus, they observed that the brakes and all other systems, including the headlights, were operating exceptionally well.
According to RTO sources, the electrical bus was only 3 months old when it was registered under the EVEY TRANS call on August 20, 2024. A 1/3-celebration enterprise based in Pune provided the motive force.
According to RTO officials, the inspection crew checked all three CCTV cameras set up inside the bus, and their footage shows that the entire horror unfolded within a span of 52 to 55 seconds.
“The complete horror has befallen inside fifty-two-fifty-five seconds,” stated an illegitimate source, adding that, according to the BEST’s information, the driver had signed on duty on Monday at around 2:45 pm, and the twist of fate befell at about nine-thirty-five pm. According to the RTO officials, the e-bus traveled a distance of 400 to 450 meters before colliding with the first vehicle and ultimately colliding with the compound wall of a housing society on S G Barve Road, while it was en route to Sakinaka from Kurla Station West.
RTO officials also suspect that the driver may have panicked after the bus collided with the first vehicle, accelerating the speed to the point where it hit everything in its path before crashing into the society wall.
In accordance with the motive force’s responsibilities, he began his duties on November 29, 2024, and received the electric bus on December 1.
The BEST administration and the motive force’s family have made contradictory statements about his training. Speaking to the reporters, BEST General Manager Anil Diggikar asserted that More received three days of induction training, while his son Deep More asserted that his father received nine to ten days of instruction prior to receiving the electric bus for driving.
RTO teams have not yet gotten the details of his use license from the police.
According to BEST records, More has been driving the moist-leased 7- to 9-meter Tempo Traveller minibuses in their fleet since November 2020. However, he did not enjoy driving a 12-meter electric-powered bus, as he had previously worked for M P Group before joining Daga Group, which recently withdrew its approximately 280 minibuses from BEST’s operation.
A reputable retired RTO stated that the automatic transmission electric buses and the guided transmission fossil gas buses have unique mechanisms. Therefore, the drivers need some time to acclimate to operating them. The retired lawyer stated that the error may have been a result of a lack of knowledge. The driving force may not have had the correct information, as computerised transmission electric buses do not have air-assisted braking systems, the retired lawyer suggested.