Mumbai:

A 25-year-old man was killed when a state-run electric bus hit him in Mumbai last night, officials said. The accident took place when the bus, hired by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking on a wet-lease basis, hit the victim, Dikshit Vinod Rajput, while he was riding his two-wheeler.

The bus was moving to the Kurla bus station from Shivaji Nagar.

“While the bus arrived at the location, a two-wheeler rider came in contact with the right side rear tyre of the bus and sustained a head injury,” officials said.

The victim was rushed to hospital but was declared dead.

The 39-year-old driver, Vinod Aabaji Rankhambe, and the bus conductor, Avinash Vikramrao Gite, have been arrested.

2nd BEST Bus Accident In Mumbai This Week

The incident comes days after seven people died when another electric bus, hired by the BEST, hit several vehicles before coming to a halt inside a housing society.

More than 40 people, including several policemen, also sustained injuries in the accident that took place Monday night.

The driver, Sanjay More, is now in police custody.

During interrogation, More said he had no experience in driving electric vehicles and underwent only a 1-day training for steering EVs, police sources said.

More, who is said to have a lot of experience driving non-EV buses, told the police that he had only driven the electric vehicle three times during the training.

According to BEST’s standard operating procedure, a driver who is going to drive an e-bus manually needs to undergo training for six weeks.

More also said the bus went out of control as he was unable to understand what he was doing, police sources said. The investigation has revealed that at the time of the accident, the bus was moving at a speed of more than 60 kmph.

According to reports, more than 106 accidents involving BEST buses have so far taken place this year.

Mumbai:

A bus driver in Mumbai lost control of the electric bus operated by the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking and rammed into pedestrians and vehicles on Monday, killing seven people and injuring 42 others. More than 20 vehicles were also damaged in the crash, which took place in Kurla and was captured on CCTV.

The bus driver, Sanjay More, has been arrested for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sent to police custody till December 21.

During interrogation, More said he had no experience in driving electric vehicles and underwent only a 1-day training for steering EVs, police sources said. More, who is said to have a lot of experience in driving non-EV buses, told the police that he had only driven the electric vehicle three times during the training.

According to BEST’s standard operating procedure, a driver who is going to drive an e-bus manually needs to undergo training for six weeks.

More also said the bus went out of control as he was unable to understand what he was doing, police sources said. The investigation has revealed that at the time of the accident, the bus was moving at a speed of more than 60 kmph.

Bus Driver’s Family, Colleagues To Be Questioned

The police have so far recorded the statements of 25 people, including the bus conductor, in the Kurla crash case. 

They will now question More’s family and colleagues to find out whether he had any dispute or argument with anyone.

The bus – which officials say had been in service for just three months – will also be checked for technical faults. 

The Olectra bus is registered under the name of a company called EVEY Trans and has been taken on a wet lease by the BEST. An official said the drivers of such buses are supplied by the private operators.

According to an eyewitness, the bus swerved over a stretch of 200 metres before the deadly crash.