The Kurla accident, which claimed seven lives, “appears to be a case of human error”, Mumbai Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials said on Wednesday, denying that the bus brake failure was the cause of the accident.
On Monday night, a bus operated by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) collided with 22 vehicles for 60 meters before crashing into a wall and coming to a halt.
After the accident, the bus driver Sanjay More was arrested by the police. At first, More’s family suggested that the accident might have been caused by brake failure, but claimed that he had not been drinking.
However, A Inspection by Wadala RTO team on Tuesday Under the leadership of Motor Vehicle Inspector Bharat Jadhav, the brakes and all other critical systems of the bus were found to be working properly.
“During inspection, we found brakes, headlights and other systems working properly,” said an RTO official.
The electric bus involved in the accident was three months old and was registered under the name AVE Trans on August 20.
RTO officials said that the accident may have happened due to the inexperience of the driver in the automatic transmission bus. Electric buses run without clutch and gear.
“If a driver is not properly trained in an automatic transmission bus, they may struggle to manage acceleration and braking, which may lead to poor decision-making in critical situations. This (accident) appears to be a case of human error,” said an RTO official.
Further investigations are underway, and the RTO has sought more details from bus manufacturers Best and Olectra.
BEST has also started an internal investigation into the incident. An official committee has been formed to assess the status, including training and experience level, of the contract drivers operating their fleet.