Far from the BEST
The BEST, which is the common man’s most preferred and economical mode of transport, needs to pull together its act and rid itself of all the anomalies that risk making it the city’s WORST, writes Gajanan Khergamker
A surge in the madnesses that include a spate of accidents and traffic violations caused by BEST drivers has triggered a corresponding spike in the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications in the regard. And, rightly so!
A while back, a crackdown by the Mumbai traffic police had revealed that around 20 per cent of the motorists violating rules are BEST bus drivers.
The traffic police had been monitoring intersections across the city for two hours every morning, from 6 am to 8 am in 2009. The bid to check reckless driving in the early hours had revealed around 7,200 of the 36,000 violators booked during the campaign were BEST bus drivers. The series of violations included jumping signals, cutting lanes and illegal parking.
BEST bus drivers are offenders
The campaign was initiated once the traffic sleuths felt that motorists have been jumping signals in the early morning because there is very little traffic on the roads. Instead, they were in for a rude shock when they found that BEST bus drivers were among the major offenders.
Concurrently, data procured under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist Chetan Kothari reveals the number of accidents involving BEST buses that ended in fatalities tended to rise. During 2007-08, there were 40 accidents involving fatalities, while in just nine months, April 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, there were 42 accidents. Traffic police officials said that after penalising BEST drivers, they confiscate the licences. The drivers must collect the licences after paying a fine at the local traffic chowky.
Senior BEST officials said they have been cracking the whip on errant drivers. “Habitual offenders are warned and a negative remark enters their service record. We also summarily dismiss a driver if his recklessness causes a fatality,'' said BEST representative.
They’re Jumping Signals As A Rule
However, jumping signals is the most common traffic rule violation BEST bus drivers commit. According to an RTI application filed in 2010, 1,310 BEST drivers were fined Rs 100 each for jumping signals in 2009. The other common violations are over speeding, lane cutting and illegal parking.
Much on the lines of pizza delivery boys, BEST drivers too have to reach depots within a stipulated period of time. But that doesn’t give them the license to break the law and risk life and limb. “The BEST transport department policy compels the drivers to overspeed, and this leads to accidents,” feels Afzal Mohammed, an advisor to the Mumbai police Road Safety Traffic Advisory Committee.
The traffic police also cracked the whip after a spate of accidents in the last couple of years involving BEST drivers. “Our teams are posted at important junctions and they penalise BEST drivers based on the grabs appearing on CCTV footages which is connected to a central control room,” said a traffic department official.
An offence is an offence, no matter who the driver is. However, BEST officials claim, a major contributing factor to the increasing number of violations is the numerous road construction and development work being carried out in the city. Now, would that pretext work if a private individual offered the same to a traffic sleuth when hauled up for breaking the law?
Spreading the wrong message
When sometime back it was revealed through an RTI plea filed by Dr Ravikant Singh with the BEST undertaking that more than 700 BEST buses - about a fourth of the entire lot - carry advertisements of tobacco products such as pan masalas, a group of motivated activists of Salaam Bombay Foundation went into overdrive.
A study revealed that 82 per cent children and 84 per cent adults responded to pan masala advertisements knowing it was tobacco. There were several outdoor advertisements of pan masala similar to tobacco products on buses.
On approaching the BMC which issued a notice to major advertising agencies to remove all tobacco, pan masala, liquor and such surrogate ads from BEST buses and bus stops, failing which action will be taken against them the practice came to a halt, the practice came to a half. That was until the tender period came to an end recently and another outdoor advertising agency stepped in.
“Now, we’re in conversation with the new advertising agency to curtail tobacco-related advertisements on buses which have again to appear of late,” says Salaam Bombay Foundation Programme Director Devika Chadda.
As per the rules, a BEST driver is expected to drive at not more than 18 kmph but then, that’s far from the truth (See online link: Speed limit). “Since, there are traffic jams and dug-up roads all over the city, BEST drivers often end up flouting rules,” is the official grouse but one that’s as lame as the department’s service itself.
Day after day, scores of commuters bear the brunt of the painful travails of BEST buses without any relief in sight. Forget all talk of making it a disable-friendly service. With BEST buses stopping a good ten-twenty metres from the bus-stop, sometimes even in middle of the road, with scant regard for traffic behind, there’s poor little anyone can do, leave aside the disabled.
Taking the BEST by the horns through violent means isn’t the solution in a democratic setup like ours. However, the mode of relief should primarily begin with systematic exposures through video-recorded versions followed up by complaints in writing and RTI applications.
The solution isn’t simple yet one that needs to be obtained at any cost. Forcing a BEST bus driver to stop a bus at the stop is important. After all, it helps the elderly avail of a service that’s primarily his/her own. That way also the infirm or disabled aren’t put through inconvenience to board a BEST bus then within reach.
Do write in or call for any help on RTI applications in this regard.
Readers keen on seeking help on drafting RTI applications may write in to rti@draftcraft.in or call Gajanan Khergamker on 022-32010593 for any assistance on RTI or to have their findings / issue featured here
