Risking lives by playing with fire; safety gaps in KSRTC’s new fleet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The current state of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) can be summed up by an old adage: "An elephant can be bought, but there is no money for an ankus." While the corporation has introduced modern buses equipped with high-end facilities, they remain vulnerable to disaster; a single spark is currently enough to burn these new investments to the ground.

The risks became reality on August 30, when a new sleeper bus—launched with much fanfare just eight days earlier—caught fire at Venjaramoodu. Local residents rushed to the scene, attempting to douse the flames with buckets of water from nearby houses. Because the incident occurred in the morning, a major tragedy was narrowly averted. However, the event highlighted a glaring omission: many KSRTC buses currently on the road lack adequate fire extinguishing systems.

Evidence suggests that KSRTC purchased these buses without adhering to Central Government safety norms.

• The 2025 Amendment: The Centre updated safety laws in 2025, requiring all new buses to feature short-circuit prevention devices and automated fire detection and suppression systems.
• Outdated Tenders: Despite these requirements, KSRTC allegedly awarded tenders for older coach models that lacked these modern safety features.

The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) initially blocked the registration of 25 new buses due to the absence of fire extinguishing systems. However, the state government intervened by issuing an order granting a six-month relaxation of the standard bus body codes.

While KSRTC requested this relaxation for its own fleet, private bus owners also exploited the loophole, leading to a widespread bypass of critical passenger safety conditions.

Under the current legal framework, all buses entering service after August 2025 must strictly adhere to the following safety protocols:

Certification and Compliance

• AIS 153 Standard: All vehicles must comply with the updated AIS 153 bus body code.
• Central Approval: Both the coach manufacturing company and the specific bus model must be officially approved by a designated central agency.

Structural Integrity and Testing

• Impact Testing: Every coach design must undergo rigorous impact testing to ensure it can withstand collisions.
• Rollover Protection: The structural design must ensure that if the vehicle overturns, the body will not collapse into the passenger interior.

Performance and Quality Assessment

• Component Quality: Approval is only granted after a thorough assessment of construction components and overall structural stability.
• Operational Safety: Evaluation includes a review of vibration levels, speed control capabilities, and braking stability.