BEST Bus Accidents: 173 people died, over 1500 sustained injuries in 10 years

In the last decade, 173 people have died in 1,970 accidents involving Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, reports stated.

The 10-year data accessed by the HT also showed that from 2014-15 to 2023-24, over 1,574 of the people sustained injured in those accidents.

It further stated that the least number of accidents (54 with 10 fatalities) were recorded in 2023-24.

This portrays that there has been a dip in the total number of accidents, fatalities and number of injured.

Meanwhile, the scenario was positive between April and November this year, with 35 accidents and four deaths, reports stated. However, it was not the same in December as it turned out to be dangerous.

In this month, there were three accidents at Kurla, Govandi and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, leading to the death of 10 people.

Over the past three years, 247 accidents involving wet-lease buses have been reported. In contrast, accidents involving BEST-owned buses have declined due to a shrinking fleet.

In the last four years, from 2020 to 2024, wet-lease operators have been involved in 482 accidents that led to the death of 36 people and left 76 people injured.

In the last five years, BEST has purchased only 37 new buses while scrapping 2,160 older ones. Currently, 2,126 wet-leased buses operate alongside 1,061 BEST-owned vehicles.