Orbit buses rule the roads at the cost of passenger safety

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 2

Orbit Aviation Ltd (earlier Orbit Transport), the owner of the bus involved in the Moga incident, has seen an unusual rise in its fleet: It had 40 buses in 2007; it now has 230-plus, according to the state Transport Department.

The number of road accident fatalities these buses are involved in over the last two-three years is at least 10 as per an independent analysis. Plus, the employees in these buses increasingly face charges ranging from rash driving to “road domination” and from out-of-turn route permits to longer-than-permissible waiting periods at bus stands, according to transport unions.

These buses also carry three or more helpers besides hawkers at bus stops, all in contravention of the Motor Vehicles Act. From the reported accidents reviewed by The Tribune from Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Faridkot and Ludhiana, police action followed only when area residents or relatives staged protests.

Jasbinder Singh Grewal, president Mini Bus Operators Union, has in his several representations to state transport officers and the Chief Minister pointed out how the Orbit staff was browbeating other buses’ employees. Jasbinder says he has not been able to get a response from these departments, except an acknowledgement from Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Grewal says Orbit Transport buses halt 10 to 14 minutes at bus stands against the rule of maximum two minutes for the other buses.

Amrik Singh Gill, convener, Joint Action Committee, Punjab Roadways, has also been flagging such violations. “Badal-owned buses have musclemen at all bus stands and pick-up points, where they hijack time table of roadways and force passengers to board their buses,” he said.

Gurmeet Singh, a representative of transport companies owned by the Badals, said: "We have never misused power. The police have always taken action in cases where our buses were involved in accidents. Some of our drivers have also been convicted".

Incidents involving Orbit buses

Faridkot

May 2012: Lucky (26) was mowed down at Sanhera village of Barnala.

Feb 16, 2014: An Orbit bus hit a motorcyclist near Harigarh village on the Sriganganagar-Patiala road, mowing down two. The police reached the spot, but allegedly took no action.

Sangrur

April 11: A youth was killed when an Orbit bus reportedly hit his motorcycle at Mahavir Chowk at Sangrur. An FIR was registered against the driver. A challan is yet to be presented in the court.

Barnala

March 30, 2014: Orbit driver Sabar Khan arrested for crushing to death a scooterist and a petrol pump owner Rakesh Kumar. Police action came after area residents forced a shutdown. 

Feb 16, 2014: A woman of Harigarh village (near Badbar) was killed while her husband was injured when an Orbit bus allegedly hit their motorcycle on the Barnala-Sangrur national highway. A mob torched the bus. 

Ludhiana

May 16, 2014: Ashutosh Singh, son of Assistant Inspector General (Prisons) JP Singh, was crushed under an Orbit bus at the Gill Chowk flyover. Under public pressure, the police impounded the bus, but delayed the arrest of the driver for nearly 10 days and registered a case against an unidentified bus driver.