BMTC task force voices concern over safety issues

BMTC task force voices concern over safety issues
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) Consumer Comfort Task Force (CCTF) has voiced concern over the lack of safety measures in BMTC buses.

In its draft report, the task force has said though BMTC’s accident rate of 0.22 per one lakh km is among the country’s lowest, there is still ‘‘scope for significant improvement’’ as this scenario projected over a year, accounts for an alarming number of accidents.

Among the various issues that have been raised are footboard travel and traffic violations. According to the CCTF report, footboard travel accounts for nearly two thirds of the total number of cases booked against the BMTC.

Several deaths have also resulted from this. However, after the automatic doors were introduced, there has been a noticeable dip in the number of footboard travel accidents, say BMTC officials.

Other areas of concern include jumping signals, reckless driving and cutting the yellow line by drivers.

The task force believes the only way to further reduce the number of cases booked against BMTC is a sustained campaign to train all their drivers in ‘‘defensive driving’’. ‘‘Education and constant reinforcement of the message that ‘‘safety is first’’ is crucial to ensure that there is a continuous improvement in the record of the BMTC,’’ CCTF says.

It has often been noticed that the most BMTC accidents occur not on the road but at bus stops. Many passengers have lost their lives trying to board or alight from a bus. Being the most common, this type of a mishap is also easily preventable.

CCTF continues: ‘‘In addition to the above, the buses should stop at the earmarked place. At terminals, it is essential to create alighting platforms separate from departing platforms. Currently, the lack of an alighting platform causes lower safety levels and it is essential that this be implemented immediately. It is important to ban parking of other vehicles within a distance of 100 ft from a stop, with the help of police.’’