Accident bus driver suspended

But the president of the Union of Bus Industry Workers (UBIW), Mr Wakil Lalloo, has contesting the decision, claiming it is an unfair because the driver is being sanctioned “because of a technical error”.

Mr Lalloo said he will demand the intervention of the the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping, failing which the union will have recourse to the law.

The union chief said he was told by driver Hossenbux that the brakes failed, adding that it is the responsibility of the company to ensure that vehicles should be in good conditions before being handed over to drivers.

“We will launch our own enquiry on how the accident occurred. Accidents involving NTC buses are becoming more and more frequent on our roads which is a direct consequence of the very old buses of the NTC,” Mr Lalloo told NEWSNOW yesterday.

'Violent collision'

Police are investigating the cause of the accident. Around 500 people gathered at the spot where the accident occurred; some even went to the nearby police station to protest.

According to an eyewitness, one of the buses had stopped at Camp le Vieux bus station. Another bus hit it from behind. “It was a violent collision. And at the same time there was a third bus which was trying to overtake the two buses.”

Mr Lalloo blamed the NTC for the numerous accidents involving NTC buses over the past two years. “Another driver of the NTC recently handed a statement to the union explaining the circumstances in which he had to stop one of the NTC buses which he was driving with around 40 students onboard on March 11.

“He stated how he managed to slow down the vehicle and managed to stop the bus after the brakes failed,” Mr Lalloo said. He also blamed the NTC for the recent accident which occurred in Chamarel where another bus carrying at least 60 senior citizens careered down a steep bank.

“The route to Chamarel is a very dangerous and has many abrupt turns. It is very irresponsible to use an old bus to service this route. It is high timethat the NTC renew its fleet.”

The UBIW has demanded that 200 buses “deemed not fit for the road” are taken out of service. The NTC last week declared as critical the financial situation at the company and asked government for aid amounting to Rs112 million.