Human error may have led to the horrific accident involving a BEST electric bus that crashed into multiple vehicles and pedestrians in the Dadar area of Mumbai on Monday, killing one person and injuring six. An RTO official informed that, prima facie, the driver may have accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of applying the brake. However, the exact cause of the accident will be determined only after a proper investigation.
The driver also attempted to engage the handbrake to stop the vehicle before it crashed into the excavator machine, according to a BEST official, who is not authorised to speak to the media.
Citing CCTV camera footage, officials said the driver, identified as Vikas Padave, attempted to minimise casualties by steering the bus away from pedestrians in the crowded area, as the location of the accident is famous for street shopping.
A nine-metre-long electric bus from the BEST fleet lost control and hit several vehicles, including two scooters and a taxi, before crashing into an excavation machine near Plaza Talkies, where work on a new road-over-bridge (ROB) has been underway for the past few years. The accident happened at the starting point of the bus plying on route 463 between Veer Kotawal Udyan at Dadar and Kala Killa depot in Dharavi, around 9.30 am, leaving a man dead and six others injured.
Two of the injured persons are said to be in a critical condition.
The BEST undertaking has set up a four-member committee to probe the accident. As per procedure, a team from the Tardeo-based Regional Transport Office (RTO), Mumbai Central, which has jurisdiction over the island city, will also inspect the electric bus and the accident site. The bus, hired from a private operator on a wet-lease model, is a nine-metre-long EV, and the driver is also quite experienced, the BEST official said.
According to officials of EV Trans, a subsidiary of EV bus manufacturer Olectra, the driver was supplied through the same agency that had provided Sanjay More, the driver involved in the tragic BEST bus crash in Kurla in December 2024 that claimed nine lives. However, the driver involved in Monday's crash has maintained an accident-free service record while operating electric buses in the BEST fleet, they added.
The civic-run BEST undertaking provides public transport services in Mumbai and adjoining areas. It carries around 25 lakh passengers daily and operates a fleet of around 2,700 buses, including EVs.
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