Sleeper bus fires set alarm bells ringing in Kerala, Transport dept. plans crackdown

The recent spree of sleeper buses catching fire — the latest incident occurring on Sunday (October 26) on the Agra–Lucknow Expressway — has set alarm bells ringing in Kerala, from where an estimated 200 such buses operate daily to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

While slack adherence to safety norms and an untrained crew were blamed for the October 24 sleeper bus fire in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh that claimed 20 lives, another 20 passengers succumbed to burn injuries when an AC bus was gutted on the Jaisalmer–Jaipur corridor earlier this month.

Clamp down planned

The State’s Transport department, already flooded with complaints of reckless driving, alleged irregularities, and tax evasion involving many such inter-State luxury buses, is gearing up to clamp down on the operators of these vehicles. The ongoing intensive enforcement drive will shortly shift its focus from stage carriage buses to luxury buses operating on contract carriage/All India Tourist Permit (AITP), considering instances of poor compliance with safety norms and frequent illegal alterations of such premium vehicles, official sources said.

Numerous fatal and other accidents — along with incidents of rash or intoxicated driving and rude behaviour by crew — have been reported involving several of these buses operating from Kerala. Instances of an inadequate number of hammers to break sealed glass windows in an emergency, absence or dysfunction of fire extinguishers, alarms, and emergency exits are common. This is largely because most of these inter-State buses are registered in north-eastern States, where producing the vehicle for the annual fitness test is not mandatory, they added.

Over time, Motor Vehicles department (MVD) officials have found that many buses claimed to have been presented for the test in such States were, in fact, recorded passing through toll plazas in Kerala on the same dates. It had been reported that one such poorly maintained bus, which lost control and toppled on the NH Bypass in Kochi in 2023, crushing a two-wheeler rider to death, was found to have illegally extended its length to accommodate five more seats and extra luggage.

A high-ranking MVD official said that sleeper buses are not “type-approved.” “Vehicles plying on roads are not designed to carry people long distances in a supine position since there is no harness. Only ambulances are permitted to carry people in that position, with harness,” he said.

Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA) Expert Member Upendra Narayanan, who was part of the team testing prototypes of several vehicles for occupant safety in the Middle East, highlighted the need for minor design changes in luxury buses — especially imported models — to enhance safety. “Their fuel tank is fitted on the right side, which poses a fire risk if hit by oncoming vehicles. A solution would be to relocate the fuel tank to the middle, between the main chassis frame, and reinforce it with a steel plate beneath. In addition, installing a main switch or circuit breaker, like in fuel-tanker lorries, would help cut power supply to the wiring harness of buses,” he said.

Furthermore, fitting an alcometer on the steering wheel would help deter drunken driving, while using fire-retardant materials for upholstery, curtain materials, and floor carpets would reduce fire risk. Above all, such multi-axle buses with fixed glass windows need more emergency exits, he added.