Mumbai Bus Accident: 'Brakes Fine, No Mechanical Issue,' Say Experts - So What Went Wrong?
A Mumbai BEST electric bus crashed near Bhandup station, killing four and injuring ten. Investigations suggest no mechanical faults; human error, possibly driver panic, is the likely cause., Mumbai News, Times Now
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A Mumbai BEST electric bus crashed near Bhandup station, killing four and injuring ten. Investigations suggest no mechanical faults; human error, possibly driver panic, is the likely cause.
Mumbai Bus Accident: A “human error” may have caused the tragic accident involving a Mumbai BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus, officials have suggested, according to media reports. The nine-metre-long electric bus, made by Olectra Greentech and over six years old, appeared to be mechanically sound when inspected.
The incident took place on Monday night near Bhandup (West) suburban railway station, where the bus crashed into pedestrians, killing four people and injuring ten others. BEST’s General Manager has ordered the Assistant General Manager (Operations and Engineering) to investigate the accident and submit a report as soon as possible. The Wadala Regional Transport Office also inspected the bus and confirmed that there were no apparent mechanical faults, adding that human error could be the likely cause, reported news agency PTI.
At the time, the bus was being driven by Santosh Ramesh Sawant, 52, who has worked with BEST for 15 years. Police have arrested him and registered a case for negligent driving.
Sources in BEST said a few minutes before the crash, Sawant had driven the bus on Route 606 to Bhandup (West) station with an average speed of just 7 kmph. The bus was then parked near the station in a crowded area for about five minutes. After taking a brief bio break, the driver returned to the steering wheel, and this is when the accident occurred, the sources said, adding the exact cause of the crash was still under investigation.
The air-conditioned electric bus was part of a fleet of 25 midi buses that the BEST administration had transferred to the Vikhroli depot from Dharavi in the island city a few months ago. This was done after the seven-metre-long mini buses, which had been plying on congested and narrow roads of Bhandup, were scrapped after completing their codal life (estimated lifespan).
A Wadala RTO official said the bus, currently parked outside the Bhandup police chowki, was inspected and nothing adverse or faulty related to its mechanical condition was found.
“The brakes were functioning properly and there was no issue with the starting system as well,” the official explained. The official said they have also sought BEST and Olectra’s inspection reports on the bus’s condition, besides details of driving licence of the driver from police.
Another RTO official, who inspected both the accident spot and the bus, told PTI that as per preliminary investigation, the vehicle was taking a right turn from its starting point. “The driver may have panicked while taking the turn, and in that situation he could have pressed the accelerator hard,” the RTO official stated, citing his observations after the inspection.
After the driver lost control over the bus, it hit a pole and road median, he explained. RTO officials ruled out the possibility of brake failure, noting that electric buses do not move if air pressure is low in the braking system.
According to the officials, the Olectra-made midi bus is six years and four months old, having been registered at the Tardeo RTO in August 2021. A BEST official said the bus underwent fitness test in August 2025 and the renewal certificate was valid until August 2027. The bus also has valid insurance.
As per Olectra officials, the bus was off-road between December 6 and December 24, during which its battery packs were replaced and there was no mechanical defect in the vehicle.
This was the second such accident in Mumbai involving a wet leased bus of Olectra. On the night of December 9, 2024, an electric bus hired by BEST on a wet lease basis from the private company ploughed into a crowd, killing nine persons and injuring 40 others in the Kurla (West) area.
The civic-run undertaking provides transport services in Mumbai and adjoining areas. It ferries around 30 lakh passengers daily with a fleet of more than 2,700 buses.
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