Once billed as Ahmedabad’s answer to London’s iconic buses, the city’s ‘lal buses’ have turned into a menace with frequent goof-ups, irresponsible driving, minimal safety protocols, and operational oversights. Between April 2023 and April 2024, these buses were involved in a whopping 353 accidents, which killed a total of 20 people.

The fleet of red monoliths is officially under the aegis of the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS). However, as Gujarat Samachar reported in April, the service is now operated entirely by contractors. These include former BJP MLAs, corporators and other functionaries of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. 

For instance, as recently as May 12, the brakes on an AMTS bus failed near Jodhpur crossroads, causing the driver to lose control and ram into eight vehicles. While no casualties were reported this time, the outcome could have been catastrophic.

Finally waking up to the sorry state of affairs, transport authorities have topped the maximum speed for buses at 40 km per hour. Operators are now expected to submit fitness certificates for their buses every 15 days. And, bus operators will also be required to investigate whether the driver was drunk at the time of any accidents, according to a proposal for which is being placed before the AMTS committee meeting on May 14. 

It is strange enough that these “corrective measures” put the onus for safety on the same operators on whose watch the accidents occurred in the first place. Stranger still is the fact that none of these contractors have faced any punitive action for previous safety and maintenance issues. 

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AMTS bus rams eight vehicles, five injured