The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will effect crew change in all inter-State services from Tuesday, said Transport Minister A. K. Saseendharan.
The decision comes in the wake of an accident involving a KSRTC super deluxe bus in which the driver was instantly killed and two, including the conductor, suffered serious injuries. The bus had rammed into a tree on the median at Chakkaraparambu along the Palarivattom Bypass on Monday around 4.15 am. The tree was uprooted and the bus was reduced to a rubble in the impact of the collision.
Palarivattom police attributed the accident prima facie to the possibility of the driver dozing off.
Talking to The Hindu after visiting the accident site, Mr. Saseendharan said that the danger of operating long distance services with unchanged crew had been flagged even before. "So, we decided to effect a crew change immediately from Tuesday in all inter-State services. Either the crew will be changed along the route or a conductor-cum-driver will be deployed. In no case will a driver be made to drive for more than eight hours at a stretch," the Minister said.
He further said that the arrangement will be gradually effected in long distance services even within the State.
Mr. Saseendharan said that a department level inquiry has been ordered into the accident to find out the exact cause of the accident. The probe will look into whether any technical glitches triggered the accident or it happened because the driver dozed off as has been suspected.
