Passengers voice safety concerns over locked doors in night buses

Mysuru: The recent Kurnool bus fire tragedy has once again highlighted the unsafe and unscientific practices followed in long-route night bus operations from cities such as Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Mangaluru.Passengers allege that in most sleeper buses, the doors are locked from the inside by the crew during the journey, posing serious safety risks. In emergencies, the doors reportedly fail to open quickly, leaving passengers trapped inside. Commuters are now urging the state transport department to intervene before another disaster occurs.It's a tragedy waiting to happen. Night bus accidents are common, and the biggest danger is that passengers are unable to get out because of these locked doors, alleged passengers. Regular passengers of long-distance private buses say the crew locks the doors and opens them only during scheduled breaks. As the doors are often made of thick glass, even if passengers call for help, their cries rarely reach the driver or crew."This is a serious safety issue," said Suprabha KR, a Mysuru resident. "During even minor accidents, passengers are at the mercy of the crew. If the door cannot be opened in time, the consequences could be tragic. It's alarming that neither the bus operators nor the transport department seem to be addressing this problem."She added that in many buses, the doors are controlled by the driver, leaving passengers with no means of escape in case of an emergency.Former Karnataka transport commissioner Bhaskar Rao said the Kurnool accident has raised several questions about passenger safety during night journeys. "Transporting cargo in passenger buses is already banned, yet monitoring is virtually nonexistent," he pointed out. "The transport department must focus on framing and enforcing strict safety rules, spreading awareness, and imposing penalties for violations," he added. When contacted, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy assured that he would direct officials to examine the passengers' complaints and take immediate action to ensure safety of passengers on night bus routes.