THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A new sticker on the back of a bus reads: “Am I driving dangerously?” This is the latest measure by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to curb rash and dangerous driving by its drivers. The redressal mechanism invites pedestrians and other motorists on the road to send a video of the offence to a WhatsApp number (also advertised on the sticker). The number is 9188619380.
The development comes in the wake of several complaints from the public against bus drivers, most of which turned out to be genuine. But lack of evidence meant that it was difficult to press charges. Buses of the state public transport carrier are notorious for rash and dangerous driving, halting in the middle of the road for passengers to board and alight, and lane indiscipline. With the new measures, KSRTC hopes to turn around its public image.
“We have started giving the WhatsApp number so that the public can send videos of the offence. We will examine the video and conduct our own inquiry to find out if the complaint is genuine or not. There will be action against the driver if the complaint is proven to be genuine,” said KSRTC CMD Biju Prabhakar.
Recently, KSRTC terminated the service of C L Ouseph, a driver who was found guilty of causing a fatal accident in Kuzhalmannam, Palakkad.
An inquiry report by the state carrier found that he was responsible for the death of two motorists while operating the Vadakkencherry-Palakkad fast passenger on February 7, 2022. A video of the driver taking a dangerous overtaking proved crucial in the case.
The Motor Vehicle Department has suspended the licences of close to 300 KSRTC drivers in the past five years for various traffic offences. Though there were several complaints against the drivers, an effective referral mechanism was absent, until now. A complaint redressal number that the KSRTC introduced was rendered meaningless after it was flooded with frivolous complaints.
“There was a proposal to fix the responsibility of ten buses on a controlling inspector, whose contact number shall be written on the buses. But the proposal had a short life span due to stiff resistance from the employees,” said Jude Joseph, a former vehicle supervisor and a whistleblower.