[audioholic]

Perhaps the crackers were being illegally transported due to the diwali requirement. Also it could be possible that some passenger carried a small amount of crackers for his family etc. Both can be equally possible, only the former is more dangerous because if it were being transported on a business basis the quantity would be huge.

So to conclude its a result of Driver being rash and perhaps affected by fatigue >> bus hitting divider and sparks as well as rupture of the luggage compartment >> sparks igniting the battery acid as well as whatever was present in luggage compartment >> due to the inflammable material bus gets doomed within no time.

Thats what I can tell myself. Root cause again is driving habits, followed by illegal luggage transportation. Poor infrastructure can be blamed only if the divuder was in the middle of the lane. Its like someone reporting an accident saying "I was driving straight, and suddenly this pole came in my way". If the driver was decently tailing the vehicle ahead, so many lives would habe been saved. Fire, emergency exit, diesel tank, etc funda are secondary. No vehicle will be designed to withstand drivers faults. Manufacturers, be it car or bus can only design safety aspects looking at what is not in our control. If we purposely cross the limits, even the safest vehicle will give up on our safety.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

But I still smell a rat, I cannot think of any passenger from Bangalore carrying crackers to Hyderabad. It could be that crackers in bulk were transported illegally by the operator.

Probably procured from Hosur, for sale or for use in H'bad.

[mpksuhas]

The cracker theory was mentioned by a member in initial pages. That was regarding crackers carried by the operator from Hosur (where it is cheaper) to other places during Diwali time.

[Guna]

Yesterday, was taking a Volvo bus from Bangalore to Hyderabad. Somewhere in the middle, the bus started making strange noise. It was as if the wheels were scrapping the body. I was concerned but was too sleepy to get int to any investigation with the driver . The way these private buses operate, for minor issues, i am sure that they will take the risk and go ahead with the journey until something breaks down.

[rajeev k]

Karnataka tells Volvo to redesign its buses for safety.
source: rediff.com

Two months after more than 50 people were killed in two fire incidents in private Volvo buses, the Karnataka government has told the bus manufacturer company to make design changes in its vehicles.
The Karnataka Transport Department has told Volvo to incorporate design changes that could enhance passengers' safety and bring down the risk of fires. The company has, however, said that the design changes may not be immediate as it meets global and national regulations.
Transport Minister Mr. Ramalinga Reddy said, "Earlier, a diesel tank measured 300 litres. Now it is increased to 600 litres. Because of that, the tank is next to the engine and after accidents, buses get burnt. Also the tank is made of fibre. It is inflammable material. So we advised Volvo to make design changes."
Another ultimatum given to private tour operators is to add a mandatory third emergency exit by February. Volvo, however, says its buses meet global standards and the impact of the crash was so high that the other issues such as driver behaviour and operators' functioning should be looked at more closely.

[Dry Ice]

2 more accidents involving Volvos that were reported on the accident thread -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3354489
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3353963

May I request the mods to suitably change the title of this thread? Similar to what we have for cars catching fire?

EDIT:

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Karnataka tells Volvo to redesign its buses for safety.


The company has, however, said that the design changes may not be immediate as it meets global and national regulations.

Volvo, however, says its buses meet global standards and the impact of the crash was so high that the other issues such as driver behaviour and operators' functioning should be looked at more closely.

That's a polite way of saying, we are not changing and with the laws currently in place, you can't do a thing! Sad, but true. While they maybe technically correct about checking the driver behavior, it does not completely absolve them of the responsibility. I would really like the transport ministry to wake up and put in place some stringent regulations about passenger safety. How about seat belts for a start?

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I would really like the transport ministry to wake up and put in place some stringent regulations about passenger safety. How about seat belts for a start?

In 1993 when several passengers got killed in a coach accident, seat belts were made mandatory in the UK.

[Chetan_Rao]

I may be driving a tank (literally), but it won't keep me safe if I drive it off a cliff.

There's no fool-proof or fail-proof machine in the world. Ultimately, all machines are as safe as the person operating it. These guys can bicker back & forth all they want, but the truth is operators run these buses with blatant disregard for employee and passenger safety, and no amount of shifting blame to the manufacturer is going to change that fact.

Volvo is responsible for safe design, but the operators are responsible for safe operation.

Volvo's response to incidents: Acknowledged there might be an issue and are investigating.

Operator's response: Moan about lost profits from removing two seats for an emergency exit which should've been there in the first place. Blame manufacturer with vague claims of faulty design while absolving themselves completely. Probably threaten a mass strike if forced to implement safety regulations.

RTO & transport ministry's response: The diesel tanks are too far upfront, causing ruptures & fires in frontal impact. No, the tanks are too close to the engine (in the rear), causing ruptures in accidents. Err..we don't really know what to say, so we'll just make stuff up after each incident.

Doesn't need a rocket scientist to figure who stands where in terms of passenger safety.

[honeybee]

All the more reason why I would prefer to just drive to a destination than take a bus. I mist say these incidents seem to be focussed to a specific geographical area. So the operators do have some explaining to do.

[anujmishra]

There was report that another Volvo caught fire on 24th January, 2014 in West Bengal plying between Asansol & Kolkata. All passengers were safe in this mishap. More reports here.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...fire-west.html
http://www.telegraphindia.com/114012...p#.UucqphCmqM8
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...cle5614555.ece
We all together have three Volvos which caught fire in quick succession.

[wildsdi5530]

Another B/W Bombay and Ahmedbad. Not sure if it was a volvo though.

[satnjyoti]

http://m.ibnlive.com/news/7-dead-aft...468-3-237.html primary reports do indicate Volvo again. Is it because most long route night buses now are Volvo?

[Maverick79]

Furhter Details in this link

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/7-...-lateststories

'Seven people were killed in Maharashtra when a luxury bus caught fire after colliding with a diesel tanker on the highway, late on Tuesday night.

Fourteen others were injured in the accident, which took place at around 1 am near Manor on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, when most passengers were sleeping. The bus was travelling from Pune to Ahmedabad.

Emergency services and top police officers rushed to the spot and traffic was stopped on the highway for four hours. The police say it will take a few hours for normal traffic to resume.

"We had to be very careful in our operations as there was a diesel tanker and a risk of explosion," said a senior police officer at the accident site. '

[anujmishra]

Why they are hiding brand of bus in this case? Any pointers? Majority of luxury buses plying on Indian roads are Volvo and very few are Mercedes and other brands.

With growing traffic, the rate of fire accidents/other accidents increasing exponentially specially night long distance buses.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Why they are hiding brand of bus in this case? Any pointers?

TOI reports,
Bus collides with diesel tanker on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway.

Seven people were killed and around 14 injured when a luxury bus in which they were travelling collided with a fuel tanker at Manor on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway early on Wednesday.

The Volvo bus belonging to Pune-based Purple Travels was on its way to Ahmedabad.