Mumbai: BEST bus driver hailed for saving passengers in brake failure incident

Mumbai: Quick thinking by a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking bus driver averted a possible mishap on Friday. Raju Jagan Pawar (50) was driving the bus on route number 425 when, at around 11:49 am, he realized that the brakes of the vehicle were not functioning. Pawar has been driving BEST buses in the city since January 2010. Although the bus was slightly damaged, all 14 passengers traveling in the bus are safe.

BEST officials said that an inquiry has been ordered to find the exact cause of the brake failure. In the meantime, the undertaking has decided to reward the driver suitably for averting a possible mishap and saving the day.

Bus driver felicitated

Confirming the development, Lokesh Chandra, the General Manager of BEST, said, "The driver will be suitably rewarded for his alertness and quick thinking." The bus belongs to the Goregaon depot and was heading towards Gandhinagar from Powai. The incident happened near Gandhinagar junction, just after crossing the slope of JVLR.

A senior officer of BEST added that the driver immediately alerted passing motorists by honking furiously and then rammed the bus into a bracket of the ongoing work of a metro line on the left side of the road, safely stopping the vehicle. After receiving information about the incident, local police officials reached the spot and cleared the traffic. In the meantime, the bus driver was felicitated by the Assistant Commissioner of the local traffic police department for averting a possible mishap.

According to Vinayak Mer, the Senior Police Inspector of Parksite Police, they have not taken any offence as it was negligence that caused a minor collision, and nobody was injured. "The brakes failed, and the BEST bus got out of control. The driver alertly diverted the vehicle towards the side where there were no humans or vehicles, which is a good act," he said, adding that the traffic division will register the case as a traffic accident causing a minor collision.

Currently, around 3,300 buses are being operated daily by BEST, and on average, the daily number of passengers on these buses is around 33 lakh. When asked about the maintenance procedure of BEST buses, a senior officer said, "Before being put into service, every vehicle is checked. The exact cause of this incident will only be known after the inquiry is over."