Team-BHP - Nov '13: Another Volvo Bus catches fire. 7 dead!

Still, I guess, Many of our members are supporting the Manufacturer. Officials can be bribed by both the parties - Manufacturers as well as Operators. To err is Human, so this aspect should always be kept in mind.

Why do the Operators get away is because we have poor Labor Laws. Drivers should be given additional facilities and more rest, rather than treated as Unskilled Labor.

So, We as Individuals have to make our own judgement, whether to support a Manufacturer or Oppose. Many people have this mentality, that all that is foreign is the best and everything that is Indian is the worst. People have to change the mindset.

Has anybody compared the specs of Volvo India buses with Volvo - Rest of the World ?

@phamilyman - It took one battery fire on the dreamliner to ground the entire jet worldwide.

I guess, it was reported, first by Japan Airlines. Air India never complained, but grounded after other Airlines in the entire world grounded. We risk our lives more than our foreign counterparts.

As partly expected the government CID department has laid the blame on Volvo's doorsteps in the accident that cost 45 lives in AP around diwali time last year.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/citi...e#.Uw7C7uOSxOI

It was primarily a case of over speeding and driver negligence according to initial reports, though not carrying the "official enquiry" tag.

Volvo buses and other commercial vehicles have set a higher bench mark in terms of safety and design , especially in the Indian context, with other manufacturers incorporating modifications post Volvo launch in India.

It is therefore distressing to note the finding .

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaaz (Post 3358097)

Has anybody compared the specs of Volvo India buses with Volvo - Rest of the World ?

@phamilyman - It took one battery fire on the dreamliner to ground the entire jet worldwide.

I guess, it was reported, first by Japan Airlines. Air India never complained, but grounded after other Airlines in the entire world grounded. We risk our lives more than our foreign counterparts.

If dreamliner incident was caused by an erratic pilot & bad weather resulting in a battery fire - would the countermeasure focus on just the battery ? This is the analogy

Volvo can introduce additional emergency exits, fuel tanks that do not rupture and so on - but that's not enough to save lives when an overspeeding drunk looses control while negotiating a badly designed curve on a highway.

There was an accident a month ago in Bangalore.

One Mini Truck (I guess 5-8 tonnes), driven by a drunk (probably), fell off from a Flyover upside down. Diesel tank was damaged and it was leaking. I don't remember what happened to the Driver, but the Vehicle didn't catch fire either immediately or after 1 hour.

It took 1 hour, by the time the TV Crew went to the spot to take the visuals. Therefore, If the Vehicle is built properly with non combustible materials and with a proper design - fire fatalities can be avoided.

Another tragic accident, 6 people lost their lives

Quote:

Bangalore: AC bus catches fire, six charred to death

Bangalore: In a tragic incident a bus travelling from Davangere in Karnataka to Bangalore caught fire early on Wednesday morning. Six people were burnt to death in the incident.
The Sleeper AC bus had 29 people on board. The driver is absconding after the incident.
This is the third such incident taking place in Karnataka. Seven people were killed and 40 others injured after a bus enroute to Mumbai from Bangalore caught fire in Haveri district of Karnataka in November 2013.
Bangalore: AC bus catches fire, six charred to death
The bus had 29 people on board and was heading to Davangere from Bangalore when it broke out into flames.

Earlier to this, 45 people had died when a Volvo bus from Bangalore to Hyderabad had caught fire after hitting the median on the national highway in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.

source : IBNlive.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dry Ice (Post 3354675)

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:

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?

I guess the government too should politely reply back with a 'Sort this mess out and then you will be allowed to sell any Volvos again, till then FULL STOP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by humyum (Post 3414406)

I guess the government too should politely reply back with a 'Sort this mess out and then you will be allowed to sell any Volvos again, till then FULL STOP.

Today's accident wasn't a volvo

Sent from my iPad using Team-BHP

Quote:

Originally Posted by humyum (Post 3414406)

I guess the government too should politely reply back with a 'Sort this mess out and then you will be allowed to sell any Volvos again, till then FULL STOP.

If & when our government does make a feeble attempt to implement road safety and road-worthiness regulations, the transport lobby is the first to howl in protest and threaten dire consequences. Nowadays they don't even try to hide their true motive: Profit.

If we stringently enforced even the existing rules (forget enhancing them), half the vehicles on our roads will need to be taken out-of-service.

I'm all for enforcement, but not selectively. Ban a manufacturer by all means if they're found flouting safety regulations, but then ban operators too who are so obviously flouting every safety regulation (including common sense ones) you can mention.

Pigs will fly before any of the above happens in India, of course:Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr (Post 3414306)

Another tragic accident, 6 people lost their lives

This was not a Volvo, though it was an AC bus. Probably Leyland, maybe Tata.

I guess the fire started as a result of some electrical short circuit in the driver cabin. Quite plausible, because:
1. The DC 24V to 230V AC inverter is kept in the driver cabin, behind the driver seat
2. These inverters are usually some cheap make, not designed to withstand overload or short-circuit
3. Cotton cloth, etc used to wipe the windshield etc. are kept in close proximity
4. Blankets wrapped in polyethene covers, easily combustible, kept on or under the spare driver's berth behind the driver seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by silversteed (Post 3414691)

Quite plausible, because:
1. The DC 24V to 230V AC inverter is kept in the driver cabin, behind the driver seat
2. These inverters are usually some cheap make, not designed to withstand overload or short-circuit
3. Cotton cloth, etc used to wipe the windshield etc. are kept in close proximity
4. Blankets wrapped in polyethene covers, easily combustible, kept on or under the spare driver's berth behind the driver seat.

The whole bus is flammable with all sorts of cargo being carried. Seat cushioning + curtains are also a welcome for fire boosting.

Cigarettes and lighters/matchboxes also may be as you never know.

Anurag.

We took a package tour to Jaipur from Delhi by multi axle Volvo last month. Just before Jaipur a guide boarded our bus. His Splendor was nonchalantly loaded in to the luggage compartment, and stayed there till we reached Amber Fort at the end of the tour, where the guide left us. I was somewhat tense for the entire duration.

On the other hand, there are countries like Malaysia which got really pissed after a similar accident
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/m...ng-for-victims
(there have been other smaller occasional accidents involving single digit deaths)
which have instituted this:
http://kl.coconuts.co/2014/04/23/tra...ly-urine-tests

Quote:

“Prior to this, we only conducted urine tests on express bus drivers during festive season, but now we will do it on daily basis to ensure that each bus driver is fit to drive,” he told reporters after chairing the meeting.

Imagine! I doubt our bus drivers are ever checked. If at all there is any problem, images of the father of the nation are always used to solve such minor issues.

Our system does not give a damn about our lives. That's the unfortunate reality. There is not even any effort to even be seen as doing anything - forget about actual implementation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 3415557)

70 passenger buses seized for ferrying inflammable goods - One among those buses had a bike in the luggage compartment, with petrol in the tank.

Quote:

Transport officials have seized a motorbike — with a full tank of petrol — that was being transported in a passenger bus. The bus was operated by Vivek Travels and had arrived in Bangalore from Shimoga.
Joint commissioner of transport Narendra Holkar said, "We were shocked to see the motorbike in the luggage compartment of the bus. Just a spark would have triggered an explosion and endangered the lives of passengers in the bus.

Quote:

In some cases, the bus crew fled with parcels of fire crackers on seeing our staff."
In all, 70 passenger buses were seized as part of a massive drive against illegal transport of inflammable items such as fire crackers, batteries and acid cans.