BENGALURU: Karnataka recorded 5,777 cases, or an average of 160 cases a month between 2023-2025, of buses being driven rashly and causing accidents, data from the transport department shows. More than 60% of these accidents involved state-run buses.The recent incident of a private sleeper bus travelling from Shivamogga to Bengaluru catching fire last week triggered a debate in the legislative council on the safety of bus travel.Data shows there were only two incidents of buses catching fire in the past three years — one on Dec 25 last year in Chitradurga, which resulted in the loss of eight lives, and the other in Shivamogga on Jan 27, in which all passengers survived.Even as investigations into the cause of the incident are underway, Kishore Kumar Puttur of BJP argued in the Upper House that innocent lives were being lost because sleeper buses were being used to transport cargo, includinginflammable materials.Puttur said luggage is openly loaded into buses and even placed on rooftops, and the practice can be routinely seen at places like Anandrao Circle in Bengaluru.“For greed and to evade transport taxes, inflammable items such as cylinders, paint,and crackers are ferried in buses meant for passengers,” he said. “Oblivious passengers, who travel home for holidays and weekends, face the risk of losing their lives.”In reply, transport minister R Ramalinga Reddy said all bus owners and promoters were briefed on the National Human Rights Commission’s 10-point guidelines last month. During the meeting, it was recommended that a public announcement system be installed to brief passengers on safety measures.“Also, department staff screen luggage that is ferried in KSRTC buses,” he said.
