Mumbai: After exposing leakages in BEST buses during the pre-monsoon showers recently, three committee members conducted a surprise visit over the weekend to the Oshiwara bus depot, where some of the buses are parked. To their astonishment, they discovered more leakages and defects in several buses.
A team of three BEST panel members—Ramakant Gupta, Ajay Singh, and Santosh Medhekar—reviewed a batch from the 43 recently delivered buses stationed at the depot. Using high-pressure water jets in the bus-washing section to simulate heavy rain, the panel members found water entering some of the brand-new buses, even though they are still parked awaiting final clearance from the Regional Transport Office.
While collecting dripping water in his folded palms, Gupta said: “This is unwarranted. Allowing vehicles with known leakage points onto the road during monsoon would put commuters at risk and expose passengers to uncomfortable travel conditions.”
Another panel member, Singh, noted that four buses had been found with leakages a few days earlier and were taken to the depot for repairs. “Despite pointing out the leakages, I am witnessing more buses with similar dripping water from the roof. There are a few other defects too,” he said.
During checks of the older fleet, the panel recorded issues such as doors failing to shut properly, reduced visibility through the front windscreen, weak rear-view visibility, and instances where buses appeared to move despite the handbrake being engaged. The panel members alleged that earlier leakage points had been covered with “sticker-like patches.” These measures appeared temporary, with water continuing to seep in during the test despite the reported repairs, they said.
Committee members have now directed BEST officials and wet lease contractors to identify and rectify the leakage points and other faults before the buses are cleared for operations, as the city heads into heavier monsoon showers.
About the Author: Somit Sen, Senior Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai. He covers stories on the Power beat in Maharashtra and on Oil & Gas. He also covers RTO, BEST (Mumbai’s public transport buses), transport ministry, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation, interstate transport (trucks/tempos), and fleetcabs.
