India's Blueline buses have killed over 100 people so far this year, giving rise to a newspaper nickname: "killer buses." Traffic accident rates in India are the second worse in the world (China is #1 with 600 deaths a day) but Indian buses are getting attention because they are on top of the traffic pecking order: pedestrians are the lowest, then bikers and cars, then buses that don't signal lane changes and only stop for cows, a sacred animal for many Indians.
The buses reportedly have corrupt owners, and are driven by untrained and over worked drivers. "They drive for 12 to 14 hours a day. ... no system of training, the buses are not maintained properly" says Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education, a non-profit road safety organization. The Gate says a quarter of the buses are owned by police and family members of prominent politicians, and owners bribe the traffic cops to turn a blind eye to infractions.
While there are protests and calls for regulation, even family of the victims still take the buses because of the very low 25 cent fare.
[Source: BBC News, SF Gate]
The buses reportedly have corrupt owners, and are driven by untrained and over worked drivers. "They drive for 12 to 14 hours a day. ... no system of training, the buses are not maintained properly" says Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education, a non-profit road safety organization. The Gate says a quarter of the buses are owned by police and family members of prominent politicians, and owners bribe the traffic cops to turn a blind eye to infractions.
While there are protests and calls for regulation, even family of the victims still take the buses because of the very low 25 cent fare.
[Source: BBC News, SF Gate]
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