PUNE: A cab driver prevented a major mishap when he stopped a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus that had collided with two autorickshaws and was about to hit other vehicles at the Katraj Bus Stand.

The PMPML bus (MH 14 CW 1744) (Katraj to Maharashtra Housing Board) was parked at the bus stand and was ready to move. The driver of the bus, Piraji Jagannath Diwate, forgot to use the handbrake after parking it and left the bus to look for the conductor. 

At Katraj stop, the bus started moving downhill and hit two autorickshaws. Cab driver Digambar Korale saw the bus moving without a driver. According to a witness, “Korale entered the bus and immediately applied the handbrake. The driver and other staff of PMPML reached the spot.”

“PMPML Accident Department Head Sunil Kusalkar also reached the spot after being informed about the incident. He inspected the bus and found that the driver had forgotten to use the handbrake. The bus belongs to a contractor and the driver has been suspended from the service with immediate effect,” said Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited Traffic Manager Anant Waghmare.