Mumbai: The left rear wheel of a BEST bus fatally ran over a 60-year-old woman who alighted from a taxi at a signal just as the lights turned green in Worli on Monday morning. A few minutes later, a water tanker hit and killed a 62-year-old woman not far from the spot of the first accident.
The 60-year-old woman, Vanmala Sabale, was on her way to her workplace when the accident happened around 11.25 am. The 62-year-old woman, Savitridevi Chauhan, was returning home from a nearby bank when she was knocked down around 11.30 am.
Sabale’s death was the second senior citizen fatality involving a BEST bus in under two months.
Sabale’s taxi had halted beside a Byculla–Lotus route bus at a red signal near the ST office junction. As Sabale attempted to alight in the middle of traffic, the signal turned green. The bus moved forward and she was crushed under it. The conductor rushed the severely injured woman to the civic-run Nair Hospital, where doctors declared her dead at 12.15 pm, citing critical head trauma as the cause.
Officials said the bus was operated under a wet-lease arrangement with a private contractor, though the conductor was a permanent BEST employee.
Senior transport officials and accident officers were dispatched to inspect the site and initiate inquiries.
“Sabale lived in Dharavi and used to work at the Worli Dairy as a peon. She was identified by a passenger who was travelling in the BEST bus,” a police officer said.
An accidental death case was registered at the police station. The police said the preliminary investigation showed the bus driver was not drunk. The police said they were registering a case of rash and negligent driving and negligence causing death.
Sabale’s death once again put the spotlight on the safety record of the city bus service. It renewed concerns over a growing number of crashes in which pedestrians and other road users have been victims of bus accidents.
In July, a 62-year-old pedestrian was killed and 10 others injured when a BEST bus crashed into the railing of the Mankhurd bridge. While BEST attributed the mishap to driver error, the driver alleged brake failure. Earlier in June, a BEST electric air-conditioned bus ploughed into multiple vehicles near Plaza Cinema in Dadar, killing a 22-year-old delivery executive and injuring six people. Another fatal chain-collision involving a BEST bus was also reported the same month.
Senior BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya has linked the rise in accidents to inadequate driver training and the growing dependence on wet-lease operators. He argued that such incidents were uncommon in the past and claimed wet-lease drivers do not face the same level of accountability as permanent BEST staff.
BEST has announced plans to gradually reduce reliance on wet-lease buses and induct around 5,000 buses of its own. However, officials say the transition will take time. Committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao has directed operators to improve driver sensitisation and ensure buses are mechanically sound. For many commuters and pedestrians, the latest tragedy is a reminder that safety concerns remain far from resolved.
The victim of the second accident, Chauhan, was a resident of a chawl in Worli. “While she was crossing the road, a water tanker which was headed towards Prabhadevi hit her. She was rushed to Nair hospital and was declared dead. Investigators are also examining the CCTV footage of the area,” a police official said.
The tanker driver, Harivansh Ramchet (30) was detained and was would be taken for a medical examination, said the police. A case of negligence causing death and rash and negligent driving would be registered, said the police.
