BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY http://afternoondc.in/city-news/better-safe-than-sorry/article_79023
Bus operators avoid accident prone Mumbai-Goa Highway, adding time and extra miles to ensure passengers reach alive and well After a bus plunged into a river on the Mumbai-Goa Highway recently, killing 40 passengers, some major bus operators on this route have started plying their buses via the Mumbai Pune Expressway, and the rest too are planning to follow suit. Considering the safety of passengers, drivers and the buses to be more important, the operators are ready to bear the extra costs arising out of the increase in distance of about 70 km, which also extends the journey time by as much as 1 to 2 hours. There have been several accidents along the Mumbai-Goa Highway due to several reasons like single narrow road, steep curves, over speeding at blind curves, overtaking, etc. As the drivers are always trying to complete their journey within 12 hours, most resort to over speeding, putting themselves and the passengers in constant danger of death or injury. The distance to Goa via the Mumbai- Goa Highway is 615 km and via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, it increases to 690 km, but the roads on the expressway are broader and hence, safer. Aziz Sheikh, Operation Officer of Neeta Travels, said, Neeta Travels has been plying all its buses via Mumbai Pune Éxpress Highway since the last 2-3 months are. Our buses too have been involved in accidents on the older route, resulting loss of life and property. The Mumbai Goa Highway is accident prone because of the narrow roads, steep curves, ghats, increase in traffic movement, over speeding and dangerous overtaking by motorists. Since passenger safety is most important, we are now using the Mumbai-Pune route, and after passing Pune, we go via Satara, Karad, Kolhapur. After us, other bus operators too have started following this much safer of travel between Mumbai and Goa. Comment: I mostly travel by bus from Mumbai to Goa, the last I travelled by the illfated bus was in Mid Jan this year. The Mahakali bus drivers are safe and their buses are year old, however I must say that the Mumbai-Goa Highway is accident Prone in some places, where the roads are narrow and mostly important the bridges are dangerous and very old, including The one where the bus fell off. Work is going on at a snails place to make it 4 lane but it will take some more years. There are 2 drivers in each bus working on shift of 5/6 hrs each, what I have mostly seen is that if the first driver Is slow, the next driver tries to make up for the time lost and make sure they arrive the destination early. There is also one conductor/cleander who mostly does the other work, and also stays with night driver to keep him awake, so the question of driver falling asleep does not arise.
