Mumbai: School bus driver uses bamboo stick as gear, held

MUMBAI: Lives of school students were put at risk by a bus driver of Santacruz’s Podar Educational Complex when the vehicle hit a Khar resident’s BMW car near Madhu Park in Khar (West) on Tuesday morning.

The businessman chased and stopped the bus to find that driver Raj Kumar (21) had been using a bamboo stick as a makeshift gear lever to operate the vehicle.

Shocked over the negligent act, he called the police control room, and the driver was promptly arrested. He was released on bail later.

It is unclear whether the students were in the bus or had been dropped at school when the bus hit the car.

In his police complaint, the businessman said, “I wanted action to be taken, which is why I stopped the bus driver for driving rashly. However, I was left shocked when I went to the driver’s side and found a bamboo stick in place of the gear lever.”

He immediately rushed inside the bus and clicked photographs and videos of the bamboo lever gear on his cellp
hone for proof.

“Kumar, who holds a driving licence from Uttar Pradesh, said he had been using the bamboo stick for three days, saying he did not get time to repair the damaged gear lever. The school has been informed and asked to take necessary steps,” said a Khar police officer.

Additional commissioner of police (West region) Manoj Sharma said Khar police booked the bus driver under Indian Penal Code sections 279 for rash driving and 336 for an act endangering a person’s life.

Meanwhile, police have apprised the RTO of the incident for further action. The bus belongs to Podar Educational Complex. While school authorities did not divulge details about the number of students on board or their ages, in a statement issued to the media, the management said: “The school is shocked to learn about the bus incident that took place February 5. All the students in the bus are completely safe. The school along with the school transport committee are investigating the incident and will fully cooperate with the authorities. A complete audit is also immediately being carried out of all the school buses. The school will once again conduct a thorough training of all transport contractor drivers and staff to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”