BEST Mumbai Take Off 400 CNG Buses From Road After Third Fire Incident Reported in 2 Months Details

Another incident of CNG bus catching fire in Mumbai, reportedly after which the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), Mumbai has announced the withdrawal of all 400 CNG buses from the roads. According to the latest media reports, this is the third incident of fire, which took place last Wednesday, around 6:55 pm. It burnt to ashes in just a few minutes. The good thing is that all the passengers got out of the bus safely before the fire broke out.

NDTV’s AccordingOn Wednesday, the third incident of BEST’s CNG bus catching fire was reported, after which BEST has decided to remove all 400 CNG buses from the road. The latest incident took place when passengers were deboarding the overcrowded bus at its last stop on the Seepz to Andheri (East) route. After the fire broke out, it was burnt to ashes in just a few minutes. Some technical fault is being told the reason for the fire.

BEST announced the withdrawal of its 400 CNG buses from the roads soon after the latest fire incident till necessary measures are taken to avoid such incidents in future.

Reports suggest that two other CNG buses caught fire on January 25 and February 11 this year, involving Tata CNG buses operated by the same operator.

According to BEST General Manager Lokesh Chandra, BEST has a total of 1900 CNG buses in its fleet, out of which 400 buses run on Wet Lease model and break down regularly.

The civic transport body reportedly said the move may inconvenience commuters, but “public safety is of utmost importance” which cannot be compromised. BEST has now also announced deployment of 297 buses on the particular route affected by the withdrawal of 400 CNG buses.