Most emergency exits on BMTC buses are jammed, a random check on Monday revealed.
While long-haul bus operators, both government and private, are reviewing their safety measures, the government-run city fleet has done little in the wake of last month’s ghastly road accidents.
Recent road deaths — two fire accidents claimed 53 lives — have turned the focus on bus safety.
A random check on Monday showed that many BMTC buses did not have functioning emergency exits. In some instances the doors were jammed shut, while in others the handles were missing. Only two of 10 buses checked in Shivajinagar had functioning emergency doors.
“These buses travel at very low speeds. In case of an accident, passengers use the normal doors. In my experience, we have never used emergency doors,” said a conductor.
Of the buses Express checked at the terminus, only two had fire extinguishers, both stored behind the drivers’ seats, and away from the passengers’ line of vision.
“Some passengers stole the handle of the emergency door. Would they leave the fire extinguisher alone if we kept it easily accessible?” said a driver.
Passengers are unaware of the exits in a bus. Older buses have two windows opening out on to the roof that can be used in emergencies, but they are clamped shut all the time. More: P4