Mumbai: BEST bus crashes into parked cab in Malad East, driver dead

BEST bus crashes into cab at Malad East (Pic/Special arrangement)

A man was killed on Thursday morning after a BEST bus allegedly rammed into a parked car while its driver was cleaning the vehicle in Mumbai's Malad East.

According to reports, the incident occurred at around 6:50 am near Pushpa Park in Malad (East). The bus involved in the accident was operating on Route 440 and bearing fleet number 8184. The vehicle belongs to Wadala Depot and was being operated by Mateshwari Urban Transport Solutions Private Limited (MUTSPL).

As per the official statement, the bus was returning to Wadala Depot when it collided with a car that had been registered with an app-based cab aggregator that had been parked on the roadside. At the time of the accident, the driver was reportedly cleaning the vehicle. The impact of the collision proved fatal for the cab driver.

The incident has caused concern among local residents and commuters during the early morning hours.

Further details are awaited.

Conductor dies after four BEST buses collide in Andheri

In a different incident earlier, a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus conductor was crushed to death in a chain collision involving four buses on SV Road in Andheri West in Mumbai. The incident occurred on May 14 near Rajkumar Shop at Amboli Naka. According to preliminary information, a large tree fell on the roadway, causing traffic disruption.

Official speak

BEST Committee member Sunil Ganachayra, who visited the site, said, "The third bus tried to move and erroneously sped up, leading to the incident. The conductor of the first bus, who went back to see what was wrong, was hit by the moving bus."

Another BEST official, on condition of anonymity, said that the conductor was crossing the road when he came under the bus.

Incident report

According to the incident report, while three BEST buses were stationary, a PMI electric bus operating on Route 251, coming from Andheri West towards Versova, rammed into the rear of the queued vehicles. During the impact, the conductor of one bus (Route 266/32) was caught between the third bus and the PMI bus while crossing in front of the vehicle. He sustained severe injuries and was rushed to Cooper Hospital, where he was declared dead upon admission, the report mentioned.

Committee to probe

BEST has constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the causes and circumstances of the accident. The matter is under verification and detailed investigation. Officials said the driver of the PMI bus allegedly failed to notice the conductor crossing in front of the bus.