To curb the number of accidents its buses are involved in,Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will instal a safety emergency switch in 12 of its buses on a trial basis over 15 days. The MSRTC will instal this switch,to be used in case of a crisis,in five buses from its Parel depot and five from Punes Swargate depot. It will also instal these switches in two of its buses used for training in Mumbai and Pune. The emergency switch would be located near the conductors seat and covered with a glass container. It is to be used in case of a real emergency ,like when the driver is speeding and not paying heed to passengers and the conductor, said Mukund Dhus,a spokesperson for MSRTC. The conductor has to break the glass and press the switch,which will stop the driver from accelerating further and bring the bus gradually to a complete halt, he said. The installation of a safety switch was recommended by Pramod Wankhede,chief of engineering at VJTI,as part of a 13-member technical committees suggestions. The committee was formed after an MSRTC-staffer in Pune hijacked a bus from the Swargate depot and sped for 45 minutes,killing several and mowing down cars in January. Meanwhile,the MSRTC has conducted medical tests of all its drivers. Those diagnosed with ailments will have to undergo medical check-up once every three months. We have decided to conduct a medical test of all drivers every two years. The next set of medical check-ups will be conducted in March 2014, Dhus said.
