The BEST bus accident in Kurla in which seven people were killed has exposed not only the lack of training of wet-lease bus drivers but also the need for urgent attention to many aspects of public transport. Transport expert Ashok Datar spoke to Mohammad Thawar about the issues that should be prioritized by the government.
Olectra bus drivers lacked training in driving electric vehicles. What measures should be taken to prevent such accidents from happening in the future?
Ashok Datar: Look, human error in driving is the rarest of rare possibilities when a driver loses control, and it’s tragic. However, one thing to keep in mind is the condition of wet fare bus drivers. Since the salary they earn is about 20 thousand rupees, it is half of the salary of the best bus driver, which is about 40 thousand rupees, so many of them do double shifts.
Therefore, their mental alertness is less than others. Mind you, the big bus that crashed in Kurla is like a small plane in terms of the number of passengers it can carry. There are strict checks and balances for a pilot who is paid heavily, which is hardly the case with these bus drivers.
The Kurla area where the accident happened is also very crowded…
Ashok Datar: There is such congestion in many areas and we are wasting money by building 6-8 lane highways in non-warranty areas. Also, by increasing the lanes, you are encouraging more car use. Widening of roads in areas like Kurla by giving proper compensation to the shopkeepers is the need of the hour.
Government should spend more to increase lanes on important roads like BKC where we can build two or three lane roads. Widening the roads in Kurla or BKC even by half a kilometer is more important than five lane highways used only by cars which a small percentage can afford. Also, bus should be given more space than metro.
But don’t you think metro will help reduce congestion?
Ashok Datar: So far, the metro’s low ridership does not justify the huge sums spent on it. The metro is glamorous, and dare I say it, has a lot of scope for corruption. In a congested city like Mumbai, we need to worry about space instead of looking to the metro for a solution.
What other steps can be taken to improve congestion and traffic in the city?
Ashok Datar: The city needs more buses today. BEST should procure at least 1,000 CNG AC buses and allow them to run on coastal roads to reduce congestion and increase mobility. One bus carries around 1,000 passengers (on most trips) and 1,000 buses carry 1 million passengers, which is much better than other modes favored by the government. Also, it will cater to everyone rather than a specific segment like car owners.
So why hasn’t the government done this yet?
Ashok Datar: It seems that BEST and BMC are instructed to buy only from certain contractors which cost more, and the delivery of buses is in bits and pieces when the city is starved of buses. Shortages are at an all-time low, traffic jams have only increased, and commuting takes longer than ever. One of the reasons for that is the lack of BEST buses.
BMC says that BEST is losing money, so why not buy a CNG bus costing Rs 55 lakh instead of forcing the company to buy an expensive Rs 1.65 crore electric bus by taking a contract in favor of the company? Mumbai is dying for buses, and the shortage is like denying an oxygen cylinder to someone who breathes.
Another issue is the lack of consideration for pedestrians in the city…
Ashok Datar: Absolutely true. The government should spend money on the existing footpaths and provide them with the same specifications. At BKC terminus, the footpath is 1.5 feet high, difficult for an old person like me to climb. Although the administration talks about the hawkers on the footpath, no action is taken against the vehicles parked on the footpath. The condition of the footpath is so bad that I have to look down frequently when I walk, lest I walk and hurt myself.
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