20230224 Third CNG bus fire in 2 months! BEST takes all 400 CNG buses off the road
India Feb 24 2023 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Third CNG bus fire in 2 months! BEST takes all 400 CNG buses off the road
Updated: 2023-02-24
After a third incident of a CNG bus catching fire, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST), Mumbai, has announced that it is taking all of its 400 CNG buses off the road. The latest CNG bus fire incident took place on Wednesday around 6:55 PM, minutes after passengers got down of a packed bus from Seepz to Andheri (East) at the last stop.
A “technical fault” led to the CNG bus catching fire, which was gutted in a matter of minutes. Fortunately, all the passengers had gotten off the bus, and the driver and conductor managed to escape unhurt as well. Immediately after the incident, BEST announced that all 400 CNG buses belonging to the particular operator will be pulled out until necessary measures are taken to ensure the avoidance of such incidents in future.
The other two CNG bus fire incidents were reported on January 25 and February 11 this year, also involving TATA CNG buses operated by the same operator. As per BEST’s General Manager Lokesh Chandra, out of the total 1900 CNG buses in its fleet, these 400 buses that are operated on the wet lease model have faced regular breakdowns.
“In view of recent incidents of fire in TATA CNG buses operated by M/S Mateshwari Urban Transport Ltd BEST has decided to take all these 400 buses off road till the OEM & operator take necessary corrective measures to ensure that such incidents will not happen in future,” read a tweet by BEST.
Moreover, the civic transport body said that the move may cause inconvenience to commuters but “public safety is of utmost importance” that cannot be compromised on. BEST also announced that it has now deployed 297 buses on the particular routes affected by withdrawal of the 400 CNG buses. It has also been revealed that the buses are being re-examined by the OEM for compliance of safety standards and safety norms, and will only put back in service once necessary clearance, written commitment and assurance of safety norms compliance is given.
Web Source: The Times of India