Lok Sabha Question No. 4463 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Bus Accidents
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri P C Mohan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4463

## ANSWERED ON 19 TH  MARCH, 2026

## BUS ACCIDENTS

## 4463.         SHRI P C MOHAN:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  recent  incidents  of  bus accidents  and  fire  mishaps  involving  both  Government  and private  operators  including  any  such  incidents  reported  in  the State of Karnataka, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  primary  causes  identified  for  such  fire  incidents  including mechanical  failure,  electrical  short  circuits,  fuel  leakages  or non-compliance with safety standards;
- (c) the  safety  regulations  and  fire  prevention  norms  currently enforced  for  public  and  private  buses  including  mandatory installation of fire detection and suppression systems, emergency exits and periodic fitness certification; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen enforcement, monitoring and penalties for non-compliance to ensure passenger  safety  and  prevent  recurrence  of  such  incidents across the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a)  and  (b)                    As  per  information  available  on  the  Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) Portal, 11 incidents of bus accidents and fire mishaps  including those private operators have been reported from 01.03.2023 to 15.03.2026 in the State of Karnataka.

As per the data, road accidents are multi-causal phenomenon and are the  result  of  interplay  of  various  factors.  These  can  broadly  be categorized into (i) human error, (ii) road condition/environment and (iii) vehicular condition.

(c) and (d)     The Government in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways  vide  G.S.R.  905(E)  dated  23rd  September,  2016  notified that  the  testing  and  type  approval  for  body  building  of  sleeper coaches shall be in accordance with AIS 119(Rev. 1) 2016. This has been amended periodically to incorporate additional safety provisions since 2017.

Some of the features / requirements are detailed as under :

Two units of fire extinguishers (total capacity 10 kg) - one near driver and one in passenger compartment.

As  per  standard,  4  exits  (1  exit  for  emergency  door,  2  exits  for hatches and 1 exit for window or glass) have been provided for buses of 12 m length. Further, one additional hatch has to be provided for buses above 12m length.

Mandatory  installation  of  fire  detection  and  suppression  system  in engine compartment and other fire-prone areas.

No  separation  between  passenger  and  driver  compartment  for  all types of buses.

Vide G.S.R 159 (E) dated 06.03.2024,  Government has notified Level Playing Field between Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Non-OEMs  Bus  Body  Builders for buses with seating capacity exceeding 22 passengers excluding driver with effect from 1st Sept 2025.

Further,  Government  has  formulated  a  multi-pronged  strategy  to address  the  issue  of  road  safety  based  on  4E's  i.e.  Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care. Accordingly, various initiatives have been taken for road safety in the country as detailed at Annexure.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) and (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  4463  ANSWERED  ON  19TH  MARCH,  2026 ASKED BY SHRI P C MOHAN REGARDING BUS ACCIDENTS.

Details of various initiatives taken by the Government in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for road safety : -

## (1)        Education:

- i.      Administers a scheme for setting up of Institutes of Driving Training & Research  (IDTRs),  Regional  Driving  Training  Centres  (RDTCs)  and  Driving Training Centres (DTCs) at State/district level across the Country. Recently revised  scheme  guidelines  have  been  issued,  incorporating  enhanced financial  assistance  and  streamlined  eligibility  criteria  for  establishing Driving Training Institutes. Additionally, incentives have been introduced for setting  up  Automated  Testing  Stations  (ATS)  in  conjunction  with  Driving Training Institutes (DTIs) under the Training-Testing Cluster approach.
- ii.          Administers  Road  Safety  Advocacy  Scheme  for  raising  awareness about road safety and for administering road safety programs.
- iii.       Observance of National Road Safety Month every year for spreading awareness and strengthening road safety.
- (2)     Engineering :
5. 2.1.    Road engineering:
- i.      Road Safety Audit (RSA) of all National Highways (NHs) has been made mandatory  through  third  party  auditors/  experts  at  all  stages  i.e.  design, construction, operation and maintenance etc.
- ii.      High  priority  is  accorded  to  identification  and  rectification  of  black spots /accident spots on NHs.
- iii.    Road Safety Officer (RSO) has been designated at each Regional Office of  road  owning agencies   to look  after  RSA  and other  road  safety  related works.
- iv.    Administers the electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) Project to establish  a  central  repository  for  reporting,  management  and  analysis  of road accidents data across the Country.
- v.      Issued  guidelines  for  the  provision  of  signages  on  Expressways  and National Highways to offer improved visibility and intuitive guidance to the drivers.
- vi.     Provisions have been made in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for failure to comply with standards for the road design, construction and maintenance, as prescribed by the Central Government from time to time.
12. 2.2    Vehicle engineering:

Various initiatives  were  undertaken  to  make  vehicles  safer,  including  the following:-

- i.       Mandatory provision of an airbag for the passenger seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver.
- ii.        Prescribed norms related to safety measures for children below four years of age, riding or being carried on a motor cycle. It also specifies use of a safety harness, crash helmet and restricts speed to 40kmph.
- iii. Mandatory provisions for fitment of following listed safety technologies: -

For M1 category vehicles:

- a. Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) for driver and co-driver.
- b. Manual Override for central locking system
- c. Over speed warning system.

For all M and N category vehicles:

- a. Reverse Parking Alert System
- iv.        Mandated Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for certain classes of L [Motor vehicle with less than four wheels and includes a Quadricycle], M [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers] and N [Motor vehicles with at least four wheels used for carrying goods which may  also  carry persons  in addition to  goods, subject to conditions stipulated in BIS standards] categories.
- v.    Mandated speed limiting function/speed limiting device in all transport vehicles,  except  for  two  wheelers,  three  wheelers,  quadricycles,  fire tenders, ambulances and police vehicles.
- vi.   Published the rules for recognition, regulation and control of Automated Testing Stations, which define the procedure for fitness testing of vehicles through  automated  equipment  and  the  procedure  for  grant  of  fitness certificate  by  ATSs.  The  rules  have  been  further  amended  on  31.10.2022 and 14.03.2024.
- vii.     Formulated  the  Vehicle  Scrapping  Policy  based  on  incentives/disincentives  and  for  creating  an  ecosystem  to  phase  out  old,  unfit  and polluting vehicles.
- viii.   Formulated a Scheme to set up one model Inspection & Certification Centre in each State/UT with Central assistance for testing the fitness of vehicles through an automated system.
- ix.       Published  rules  regarding  the  Bharat  New  Car  Assessment  Program (BNCAP) to introduce the concept of safety rating of passenger cars and empower consumers to take informed decisions.
- x.   Published  rules  regarding  prescribed  level  playing  field  in  the  area  of manufacturing  of  buses  by  Original  Equipment  Manufacturers  (OEMs)  and Bus Body Builders.
- xi.  Mandated vehicles, manufactured on or after 1st October, 2025, shall be fitted with an air-conditioning system for the cabin of vehicles of N2 (goods vehicle with gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12.0  tonnes)  and  N3  (goods  vehicle  with  gross  vehicle  weight  exceeding 12.0 tonnes) category.
- xii.      Published  rules  for  revision  of  standards  for  Safety  Belt,  Restraint Systems and Safety Belt Reminder to provide provisions for applicability of revised  standards  for  safety  belt  assemblies,  safety  belt  anchorages  and the installation of Safety Belts and Restraint Systems, in Motor vehicles of category  M,N  and  L7  w.e.f.  01st  April,  2025.  Further,  the  vehicles  of category M1, manufactured on and after the 1st April 2025, shall meet the requirement of safety belt reminder for all front facing rear seats as per AIS145-2018.
- xiii.      Published rules for Active safety features in Medium and Heavy Duty vehicles,  which  provide  for  Braking  System  including  Anti-lock  Braking, Endurance  Braking  System  for  M2,  M3,  N1,  N2,  N3  and  Quadricycle (effective for new models from 1st January, 2027 and for existing models from 1st October, 2027), and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including Vehicle Stability Function (VSF), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS),  Driver  Drowsiness  and  Attention  Warning  Systems,  Blind  Spot Information  Systems  and  Moving  off  Information  Systems  for  M2,  M3,  N2 and N3 categories of vehicles (effective for new models from 1st October, 2027 and for existing models from 1st January, 2028).

## (3)        Enforcement:

- i.            The  Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 as stands implemented provides for strict penalties for  ensuring  compliance  and  enhancing deterrence for violation of traffic rules and strict enforcement through use of  technology.  Traffic  management and  enforcement  is  essentially  in  the domain of State Governments/UT Administrations. While Central Government  formulates  rules  under  the  Motor  Vehicle  Act,  1988,  the enforcement of these rules comes under the purview of State Governments/UT Administrations.
- ii.             Issued  rules  for  Electronic  Monitoring  and  Enforcement  of  Road Safety. The rules specify the detailed provisions for placement of electronic enforcement  devices  on  high  risk  &  high  density  corridors  on  National Highways, State Highways and critical junctions cities having a population of more than one million in the country and cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
- iii.          Government  has  issued  guidelines  for  incentive  to  States  for Implementation  of  Electronic  Enforcement  of  Road  Safety  under  the Scheme  for  Special  Assistance  to  States  for  Capital  Investment  2025-26 (SASCI 2025-26) with allocation of Rs. 3,000 Crore (on first come first serve basis).

iv.     On 10th June, 2024, the Government has issued an advisory to all the States  and  Union  territories  on  technological  interventions  for  ensuring compliance with Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. (4)        Emergency care: i.            Revised  the  scheme  guidelines  (named  as  Rah-Veer)  for  the protection  of  Good  Samaritan,  who  in  good  faith,  voluntarily  and  without expectation of any reward or compensation renders emergency medical or non-medical care or assistance at the scene of an accident to the victim or transports such victim to the hospital. As per the scheme, the reward for Rah-Veer has been increased to Rs. 25,000/- from Rs. 5,000/-. ii.           Enhanced compensation of victims of Hit and Run motor accidents (from  Rs.  12,500  to  Rs.  50,000  for  grievous  hurt  and  from  Rs.  25,000  to Rs.2,00,000 for death). iii.         The  National  Highways  Authority  of  India  has  made  provisions  for ambulances with paramedical staff/Emergency Medical Technician/Nurse at toll plazas on the completed corridors of National Highways. iv.        Government in Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified the  Cashless  Treatment  of  Road  Accident  Victims  Scheme,  2025  on  5th May, 2025. The detailed guidelines including process flow, stakeholder wise standard operating procedures and clearly delineated roles and

- responsibilities have also been notified on 4th June, 2025.

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