Hazard on wheels: Inside India’s sleeper bus tragedies

So deep is the trauma that he says he can never set foot in an AC private sleeper bus again.

With inadequate train connectivity and poor services by state-run transport corporations, private operators have come to dominate inter-state bus routes across India.

But these symbols of comfort and convenience are now turning into hazards on wheels.

A maze of weak regulations, lax enforcement, tax issues, widespread corruption and poorly trained crews is fueling recurring bus fires across India.

The ill-fated sleeper bus belonging to V Kaveri Travels was originally built as a seater but modified later, without proper safety checks. The crew did not know what to do during fire incidents and no passenger knew where the emergency exits were. The bus was carrying commercial goods in the form of 234 smartphones, whose lithium-ion batteries exploded one after another, intensifying the blaze.

Officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and state Transport Departments point to various violations by bus operators – unauthorised modifications to increase capacity, extra decorative lighting, installing inverters and the absence of accessible emergency exits – for these tragedies.

While regulations are aplenty, effective enforcement is often found lacking. Since road transport is on the Concurrent List, the Centre sets the regulatory framework but states have complete enforcement powers.

Bus design, retrofittings

Unlike cars that are crash-tested by specialised agencies, sleeper buses frequently fail to meet even the norms prescribed under the ministry’s Automotive Industry Standards (AIS).

The Union government has no plan to expand the scope of the national crash testing programme – Bharat New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) – to include heavy vehicles and passenger vehicles such as buses and trucks, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, told the Rajya Sabha recently.

In 2017, as part of the Bus Body Code, the ministry notified specifications for emergency exits, door dimensions and gangway width. In April 2019, it made the installation of automatic fire alarm systems mandatory, says a ministry official.

After the new bus code came into force on September 1, 2025, six emergency exits made of breakable glass are now mandatory for sleeper buses. But buses built before September 2025 are excluded.

“During recent bus accidents, deaths could have been avoided with timely help and cutting the bus body to evacuate the injured. Most developed countries have glass roofs that can be easily broken and passengers can be rescued,” says K K Kapila, president emeritus, International Road Federation, a global road safety body.

The existing Bus Body Code has strict norms for passenger safety including mandatory fire extinguishers, speed governors, fitness certificates and fixed time for drivers to prevent fatigue, he notes.

An industry source says it is common for operators to convert seater buses into sleeper ones. While such conversions are permitted by law, operators often do not comply with prescribed rules.

In Tamil Nadu, buses are rebuilt in places like Karur, where many bodybuilders lack expertise in sleeper conversions.

“They simply copy designs from foreign manufacturers like Volvo. Another marketing gimmick is to misuse the Volvo brand name to promote buses and attract passengers,” the source adds.

Another source confirms this. “While remodelling is allowed, the problem is that these conversions are neither done properly nor adequately inspected by officials,” the source adds.

C Mallikarjuna, Karnataka’s Additional Commissioner of Transport (Administration), says passenger vehicles can be converted from seater to sleeper and vice versa but a goods bus cannot be converted to a passenger vehicle.

Upendra Narayan, an expert member of the Kerala Road Safety Authority, says most sleeper buses operating in India are illegally altered by doing away with emergency doors and other safety parameters. Carrying cargo other than that of passengers is also rampant.

“Most of the buses and trucks are designed as “single-box type” and “full-forward control-type design”, meaning the engine, passengers and the luggage are in the compartment, which increases the chances of injury and death of occupants. The manufacturers are highly profit-oriented and least bothered about the safety of road users and occupants on the vehicle,” he notes.

Fake emergency exits

In the darkness of the burning bus, Kushwaha found a small window barely the size of a computer monitor.

With no handle, hammer or light, he tried punching and kicking it. After several hard blows, it finally cracked. “I rammed into it with my shoulder and head until it broke open,” he recalls.

When buses are retrofitted, emergency exits are often the first casualty.

According to Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, the state was the first state to mandate emergency doors on all buses, whether government-owned or private.

In November 2013, two private AC sleeper buses caught fire within a fortnight – one in Telangana’s Mahabubnagar and another in Haveri. Both had departed from Bengaluru.

“I personally visited the accident scene in Haveri and carried out inspections. We made it mandatory for all buses to have dedicated emergency exits. We also directed Volvo and Scania, which until then had only breakable glass windows, to provide proper emergency exit doors,” Reddy tells DH.

Mallikarjuna, the Karnataka transport official, says all necessary inspections are carried out while issuing fitness certificates.

“Everything is in order at that time. But many operators later make alterations or remove mandatory features. We are conducting inspections and seizing buses and will intensify the drive in the coming days,” he asserts.

According to Anand Parthanahalli of the Kalaburagi Regional Transport Office (RTO), many bus operators do not maintain fire safety equipment after a few years.

Perils of commercial cargo

Whether it was the 2013 Mahabubnagar bus fire or the recent Kurnool bus tragedy, one common factor that stands out is the commercial cargo carried on both buses worsening the disasters.

In the 2013 Mahabubnagar tragedy, which claimed 45 lives, the bus was transporting human hair for wig manufacturing. In the Kurnool tragedy, hundreds of smartphones were stored under passenger berths.

As per the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) rules, carrying commercial or merchandise goods in passenger vehicles, apart from passengers’ personal luggage, is illegal.

“Transporting commercial or merchandise goods in passenger buses is strictly prohibited. However, many operators depend on such cargo to meet their fuel expenses and any extra income becomes profit,” says Srinivas Puppala, a retired Deputy Transport Commissioner from Telangana.

The RTO issues separate permits for goods and passenger transport, which are not interchangeable. Vehicles used to carry commercial goods must comply with different regulations, taxes and safety standards. When private buses transport commercial cargo, they violate passenger permit conditions, particularly when they operate as stage carriages despite holding only contract carriage permits.

After a 2011 Supreme Court ruling banned roof loading of luggage, most private operators began using the space between the front and rear tyres for cargo. This compartment space can carry one to two tonnes, generating Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per round trip depending on the goods.

Many buses now have separate under-seat compartments for passenger baggage and commercial cargo.

“Sometimes it is difficult for us to distinguish between passengers’ belongings and commercial merchandise (goods). A proper mechanism must be developed like assigning a QR code by the operator that we can scan during inspections to identify passengers’ luggage,” a senior Telangana RTA official says.

Carrying cargo outside passengers’ personal baggage violates the conditions of stage carriage permits. Usually, when caught, such buses are penalised and allowed to continue.

“Roof-loading was banned because heavy loads raise the vehicle’s centre of gravity, increasing the risk of tilting or overturning while turning. But storing commercial goods under passengers poses greater danger, especially in fire accidents as seen in the Mahabubnagar and Kurnool tragedies,” Puppala adds.

Reddy, the Karnataka minister, says luggage space is strictly for passengers.

S Suresh Kumar, general secretary of the Karnataka Bus Owners’ Association, acknowledges that about 30% operators transport commercial goods to maximise profits.

A mobile phone dealer says vendors prefer sending smartphone consignments by overnight buses because of their “safety and convenience”.

“Trains can be risky because the staff may not handle such phones with care. Overnight buses are convenient. You just pay the driver and he’ll he will take care of everything,” he says, wishing anonymity.

Bundles of imported cigarettes are also sent by overnight buses from Chennai to Bengaluru. Commercial goods are often undervalued when booking the consignment, he adds.

Road tax havens

Because of high road tax in Karnataka and other South Indian states, many private operators register their buses in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Puducherry, Goa and Odisha and operate by obtaining the All India Tourist Permit (AITP).

According to an estimate, 75% of private buses plying between Bengaluru and Hyderabad are registered neither in Karnataka nor Telangana.

The bus that caught fire on October 24 was registered in Odisha. It plied between Telangana and Karnataka, while the accident occurred in Andhra Pradesh. “RTOs can only do limited inspections when the buses are registered in other states,” a source in the know says.

Reddy acknowledges high road tax in Karnataka but asserts that it is here to stay. “Buses must pay tax in the state where they operate,” he notes.

He also maintains that state transport departments have the powers to check AITP buses and seize them over violations. “Some private operators had legally challenged states’ jurisdiction over buses with AITPs. But courts have held that AITP buses must pay local road tax in states where they operate. We can also take action if there are various violations, including transporting commercial goods, altering seats, emergency seat modifications and so on,” he explains.

Mallikarjuna, as well as another transport department official, admit that many AITP buses operate from one city to another with scheduled stops but say that is not allowed because the permit is only for tourist buses.

Reddy promised action against such vehicles. “Give us information and we will take action,” he said.

Noting that bus registrations in other states pose hurdles during crackdowns, he says the ministry has drafted rules to make amends. The situation should improve soon, he adds.

Joint Commissioner for Transport (Bengaluru Urban) A M Shobha says a state has all powers to take action against any vehicle operating within its jurisdiction if it violates rules. “We can suspend permits or recommend other states to take necessary action if there are violations of permit conditions,” she points out.

Karnataka has formed special squads to intensify checks and has recently recruited 89 inspectors of motor vehicles, she adds.

Suresh Kumar, of the bus owners’ association urges Karnataka to reduce its road tax. “We take AITP permits and register in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and other states. It is causing revenue losses to Karnataka,” he adds.

He further says that many operators run AITP buses on intercity routes because there are no separate permit requirements.

“The government must change with the times. It is still applying the laws from 30-40 years ago when population was low and cities had not grown so much,” he notes.

Rampant corruption

Though most violations by private buses can be detected during fitness checks and regular drives, rampant corruption and systemic flaws hinder effective enforcement.

State Transport Department officials claim they conduct regular checks but it is anybody’s guess whether these inspections are making any real difference.

“RTO is one of the most corrupt departments, that is why so many non-compliant sleeper buses are allowed to operate,” the industry source quoted earlier says.

Karnataka claims to conduct “regular” checks against errant buses but it is not clear how often. Neither Mallikarjuna nor Shobha specified this.

In Tamil Nadu, rampant corruption in the bus industry has also been attributed to the system of temporary permits. Bus operators have to obtain temporary permits every seven days to operate on the route which puts them at the mercy of the officials and the department.

Tamil Nadu stopped the registration of sleeper buses in the 2000s and lifted the ban only in 2018.

Currently, there are 1,535 omnibuses registered within Tamil Nadu that comply with permit rules. However, 905 buses registered in other states with all-India permits have been asked to re-register in Tamil Nadu. The bus lobby remains powerful and authorities seldom take action when fares are hiked during festival seasons. Operators continue to violate norms with impunity, simply paying the fine and continuing their services.

After a tourist bus accident killed nine people in Palakkad in October 2022, Kerala’s Motor Vehicle Department carried out massive drives and exposed rampant violations – alterations in bus design, fixing lights that distract drivers of other vehicles, seating capacity violations and carrying unattended cargo.

While the stringent regulations forced many operators to shift their bus registrations to other states, a group of highly influential bus owners openly flouted the crackdown. The enforcement eventually lost steam.

Driver woes

Drivers say pay is low and owners drag their feet on attending to complaints about bus breakdowns.

Drivers often accommodate passengers within the limited space in their cabin, increasing the chances of mishaps during overnight trips.

“Bus owners neither pay us well nor on time. We are forced to look for extra cash by carrying passengers on vacant seats or transporting goods. We also have to undertake repairs by hiring local mechanics during breakdowns because company mechanics show negligence in addressing major problems,” says Shivakumar N, who has driven tourist buses for five years now.

According to Mallikarjuna, the Transport Department has directed bus operators to demonstrate emergency exit procedures before departure – much like safety briefings on flights.

Kumar, of the bus owners’ association, says overnight bus crew must take the initiative to raise awareness. “Passengers are usually asleep when these accidents happen in the dead of night. The bus operators must educate the crew, who in turn, should educate passengers on emergency exits without creating panic,” he states.

Policy fixes may make bus travel safe again, but for survivors like Kushwaha, no safety demo can erase the memory of the flames.