Passenger buses racing on the State capital’s roads are increasingly becoming causes of accidents, putting commuters’ lives at risk. A shocking preliminary investigation has revealed that the biggest reason for these accidents is the practice of bringing outdated, 15-year-old scrap vehicles from states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh into Bhopal and transforming them into passenger buses. These vehicles, which have lost their fitness, are being pushed onto long-distance routes relying only on a coat of paint and minor repairs, posing a major safety risk to passengers. Deterioration, not technical fault, is the cause: Grave and unusual incidents, such as the rear wheel and axle coming off a moving bus, are being reported consistently.

 

Experts suggest that such incidents are not the result of ordinary technical faults, but rather the consequence of severe deterioration of the vehicle’s chassis and suspension system. Being over 15 years old, these vehicles cannot withstand the shocks of Contd from page 1 long-distance travel, leading to the failure of critical components. Passengers are risking their lives travelling in these buses where safety standards are openly violated, passengers are often seated on plastic stools beside broken windows, without access to emergency exits. The greed of the city’s 46 bus operators is putting passengers’ lives in danger. The Transport Department has so far levied fines of Rs 4.75 lakh on these operators, yet the incidents continue unabated.

 

No more state permits, old buses confined to city routes: The Transport Department has taken a firm stance on this issue. Transport Commissioner Vivek Sharma clearly stated that 15-year-old vehicles will no longer be issued state permits. “Passenger vehicles that are 15 years old will no longer receive state permits. Notices are being sent to such bus operators to remove these vehicles. Operators will be allowed to replace them with their new vehicles on state routes after obtaining permission,” said Vivek Sharma, Transport Commissioner. Permission to shift to shorter city routes: The department clarified that operators whose state permits are revoked will only be allowed to use these old vehicles for shorter city routes or for transportation (goods carriage).

 

The department claims that this new permit regulation will soon free passengers from dangerous and dilapidated buses, thereby enhancing road safety. Chain of recent accidents: Two major incidents in two days Case 1: November 15, 2025- Short Circuit A BCLL (Bhopal City Link Limited) low-floor bus suffered a short circuit on Link Road Number One. Passengers jumped out of the bus to save their lives upon sensing danger. BCLL has issued a notice to the bus operator over this serious safety violation. Case 2: November 17, 2025- A similar serious axle failure incident occurred with a Verma Travellers bus near Narmadapuram Temple. The rear wheel, including the axle, came off the moving bus. Fortunately, the speed was slow.

 

However, the operator is still claiming that their bus was not 15 years old and had all the necessary permits.