Since its inception in 2018, Ama Buses have claimed 22 lives and injured over 50. TOI meets some of those victims’ families whose dreams are dashed as they try to piece together their lives.It was just like any other day for Namita Patra when she woke up on Jan 3 to see off her husband Bishnu Patra, an autorickshaw driver, who was leaving for duty. As she went about her day, nothing could have prepared Namita for the phone call that she received hours later and shattered her world. Bishnu, the father of her two children and the sole breadwinner of the family, was no more and she was told that he was crushed under the wheels of an Ama Bus at Rupali Square.Life since that day has been nothing but an extreme struggle for Namita, a filariasis patient, who is facing hardships in bringing up her daughter, a college student, and son, a Plus II student. “We don’t want the compensation announced by the govt,” says Namita with a quivering voice. “Both my children are too young to take responsibility. I request the govt to give us a permanent job.”Ashish, Bishnu’s son, said, “The authorities should take responsibility so that such incidents wouldn’t occur again.”Namita and her family’s grief is not isolated. Since July 2024, nearly 12 have died in accidents involving Ama Buses — rebranded from Mo Bus and operated by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) — in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.In Raghunathpur, Savitri Juadi still struggles to console her children after losing her 12-year-old daughter in Feb 2025. Dragged to death by an Ama Bus while crossing the road to buy biscuits for her father, Muni’s absence has left a void. “Kuni, my younger daughter who recently got admission into a college, refuses to step out. She fears crossing the road,” said Savitri.In Sept 2024, a man riding his two-wheeler was run over by an Ama Bus at the same spot in Raghunathpur where Muni died.On Dec 26 last year, 35-year-old Lokanath Das was crushed under an Ama Bus at Bharatpur-Chandaka Road. A construction supervisor, Lokanath was married to Rojalin and had a seven-year-old boy named Bibek Das. “He was our world,” says Rojalin, the wife, demanding justice. Lokanath’s father, a retired govt employee, blames reckless driving for the tragedy.“My father worked as a mall security guard,” says Babita as she recounted the day her father, Trinath Barik, died under Khandagiri Flyover in May 2024. “Some locals vandalised the Ama bus and demanded Rs 50 lakh as compensation for my father’s death,” she said, adding, “He didn’t deserve to die like this.”Brundabana Sahoo still hasn’t received any compensation for the death of his brother, Sudarsan, last Dec. Sudarsan (51) was on a bike, along with Brundabana, when the Ama Bus hit their vehicle near Satsang Vihar on NH-16 and fled. “We want justice for our brother,” Brundabana said.Once hailed as a modern public transport solution, CRUT’s Ama Bus service now faces public outrage. As families mourn, questions loom large over safety measures and accountability. Locals have alleged rash driving and poor enforcement of speed limits as recurring causes behind these tragedies. Victims’ families demanded stricter training for drivers, speed regulation and compensation beyond token amounts.Road safety experts pointed out systemic gaps, lack of speed governors, inadequate pedestrian safety measures and poor monitoring of drivers. “Public transport should save lives, not take them,” said Syed Maqbool Ali, a former member of the National Road Safety Council urging the authorities to strengthen enforcement.“Ama Bus was supposed to make commuting safer. Instead, it has become a horror. Drivers seem to be in a race. Where is the accountability?,” said Pradipta Nayak, a commuter.For Namita, Savitri, Rojalin, Babita, Brundabana and several others, life will never be the same. Their stories echo a chilling truth – behind every statistic lies a shattered family.
