The members of a marriage party travelling in a hi-tech bus from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam had a miraculous escape when a bus caught fire near Kasimkota in April this year. Around 35 passengers of a private travels bus, escaped after a bus caught fire near Gajuwaka, last year.
Accidents like these are occurring all over the State. Though modern technology can bring down their incidence, the presence of mind, alertness, skill and dedication of the man behind the wheel, is of utmost importance in averting them.
Some of the modern hi-tech buses are equipped with sensors to detect smoke and display a warning message on the dashboard. But, what if the driver fails to notice the message either owing to lack of sleep, inattentiveness and so on?
This was what had happened when the bus caught fire on the National Highway near Kasimkota, on April 29, this year. The fire broke out around 6.45 a.m. There are varying versions on how the fire was detected immediately after mishap.
While some said a car driver noticed the fire in the rear of the bus and alerted the driver, others said that the bus driver noticed the fire in the rear view mirror and brought the vehicle to one side and evacuated the passengers quickly. The bus was almost reduced to ashes in no time.
The bus built by a multi-national company was equipped with sensors to detect smoke. The officials later said that the driver had not responded promptly to the danger warning. Though the bus driver had claimed to have noticed the fire in the rear view mirror, why did he not notice the danger indication on the dashboard?
“The manufacturers who are based in Sweden had noted that the sensor had detected smoke and sounded a beep sound and the data was recorded in their central system. It shows the negligence of the driver,” Deputy Transport Commissioner S. Venkateswara Rao told The Hindu .
“Smoke precedes a fire and the sensor detects smoke and gives the danger indication on the dashboard. The driver should stop the bus on getting the danger warning and immediately evacuate passengers. The onboard fire extinguishers are adequate to put out the fire in the initial stages but once it spreads, they would not suffice,” said Motor Vehicle Inspector, Gajuwaka, M. Butchi Raju.
“Faulty plugs and improper wiring could also result in fire. Buses have a lot of wires to charge mobiles and other facilities. The modern hi-tech buses have a lot of plastic parts and upholstery. When the plastic parts burn, they release toxic fumes, and if the passengers inhale the gases, they would fall unconscious,” he said.
“When the buses are brought to us (Transport Department) for the mandatory Fitness Certificate (FC), we check the functioning of the fire extinguishers, provision of emergency door and alarm and scanning systems (wherever available),” Mr. Venkateswara Rao said.
“Recently, we recommended for a two-door system in buses for quick evacuation of passengers during emergency,” he added.
