BEST withdraws 400 buses after third CNG bus catches fire

Mumbai: Regular BEST bus commuters are likely to face a harrowing time, as the transport service on Wednesday evening decided to withdraw 400 buses from the Mumbai roads after yet another CNG bus caught fire. This was the third such incident in one month.

The bus, running on route number 415, caught fire after reaching Agarkar Chowk outside Andheri (E) railway station at 6.55 pm. Although the bus was very crowded, the fire happened soon after all the passengers had alighted. While investigations are underway, officials said the probable reason for the fire was a spark in the engine.

In a tweet, BEST said that in view of the recent incidents of fire in TATA CNG buses, operated by M/S Mateshwari Urban Transport Ltd, it had decided to take the entire fleet of 400 buses off the road till the manufacturer and operator took corrective measures to ensure that such incidents did not happen again.