BEST bus involved in accident was mechanically sound, 'human error' may have caused crash

Mumbai, Dec 30 (PTI) A "human error" may have led to the horrific accident involving a bus of Mumbai's civic-run transport undertaking BEST as the more than 6-year-old vehicle appeared to be "mechanically sound", officials said on Tuesday.

The Olectra Greentech-made nine-metre-long electric bus from the fleet of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking crashed into pedestrians near Bhandup (West) suburban railway station on Monday night, killing four people and injuring 10 others.

The BEST's General Manager has already directed the Assistant General Manager (Operations and Engineering) to probe the accident and submit a report at the earliest. The Wadala Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspected the bus involved in the tragedy.

"The bus appears to be mechanically sound. A human error might have caused the accident," a senior official of the transport undertaking said while speaking on condition of anonymity.

At the time of the accident, the ill-fated bus was being driven by Santosh Ramesh Sawant (52), who has been with BEST for the past 15 years, he informed.

According to a release issued by the BEST administration, police have arrested Sawant and registered a case against him 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 said 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 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. PTI KK RSY