Few licences, no records: Who makes up your bus crew?

Kochi: Fierce competition among private buses has turned the city’s roads into a dangerous arena, where motorists must pull over or risk being hit by crews in a day-long death race.Crew members with criminal antecedents make it deadlier. Violent confrontations are routine, yet authorities usually act only when CCTV footage exposes them.Central police on Thursday registered a case following a clash between the crews of two buses, Shalima and Akshay-Aleena. Shalima’s crew objected when Akshay-Aleena jumped its allotted slot and overtook them. The crew of Akshay-Aleena threatened them, and when Shalima’s owner intervened, he was beaten at High Court Junction on Thursday morning, leaving him with injuries under his eyes and a dislodged tooth.Also on Thursday, near the district court on Park Avenue Road, a bus’s persistent honking forced a car driver to pull left. When he tried to overtake the bus at a stop near the old corporation office, its driver allegedly swerved sharply right and hit the car.A day earlier, footage from Ravipuram showed a bus overtaking another from the left and mounting the footpath, nearly killing a pedestrian. On Thursday, Central police registered another case after a policeman spotted two buses racing at Madhava Pharmacy Junction.Many such incidents go unreported, as motorists whose vehicles are damaged often give up on complaining.When Aluva-Perumbadappu bus Sajimon was seized in Aug, it allegedly had over 300 challans, mostly pending. Muhammed Anzar, a bus cleaner recently arrested for threatening commuters in Kaloor and Thrikkakara, allegedly had around seven cases against him.Staff like these, on almost all buses, fall outside regulation. “Very few conductors on private buses hold a valid licence from transport department. On top of that, every bus has two or three additional staff. There is no accountability as to who these persons are and when and where they were employed,” said a senior motor vehicles department official.Some are specifically tasked with confronting rival crews during altercations. “For maximising business by reaching passenger-heavy spots first, drivers frequently race each other and bully other vehicles by driving dangerously,” the official said.The department cannot legally cancel permits over traffic challans alone and is severely short-staffed, he added. “We need special squads, at least one each in all constituencies of Ernakulam, to effectively monitor the buses.”Overcrowded buses often ply with their doors open. On Monday, a 31-year-old woman died after falling from a moving bus in North Paravur. In July, a 56-year-old nun died after being thrown out of a moving bus in Kozhippilly. Last Tuesday in Vypeen, Stivin (44) was hospitalised with a fractured elbow after a bus hit his two-wheeler head-on. In March last year, a 36-year-old woman on a two-wheeler was run over when trapped between two racing buses.Vyttila-based activist TN Prathapan says he now prefers KSRTC or Metro, fearing rash driving. He submitted a petition to transport commissioner a few days ago. “In the petition I said that arrangements must be made for the public to travel safely and without fear. The abusive language and physical fights among staff have become intolerable,” he said.KB Suneer of Private Bus Operators Association said most buses in serious incidents, including the Ravipuram bus, are not members of recognised associations. “Such buses, mostly operating on lease, make up 25-30% of those on the road,” he said.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in KochiStay updated with the latest Kochi news. Download the TOI App.