Protesting passengers avert Volvo bus mishap

A mishap was averted on Tuesday, when a KSRTC Volvo bus from Mysore to Bangalore developed technical fault leading to smoke from its front wheels. The smoke was witnessed by passengers when the bus was about to reach Mandya.

 According to eyewitnesses, the bus had barely reached Mandya, when the passengers panicked after seeing smoke coming out of the front wheels of the bus and asked the driver to stop the vehicle. They said the driver made a few phone calls, apparently to some technical officials, and continued driving till Maddur.

Once in Maddur, the passengers refused to continue the rest of their journey in the same bus. It was then that the driver and conductor stopped another KSRTC Volvo bus coming from Mysore and made arrangements for them to travel by it. However, KSRTC (Rural) Mysore Divisional Controller B V Srinivas, when contacted, said that the bus had gone for docking in the morning in the workshop and installed with a new brake shoe. “The brake shoe rubs with the brake drum as it is new and thus smoke was noticed for a few minutes. There was nothing serious.”

Sundaresh Yajaman, a passenger said, “The driver was apparently told by his seniors to carry on after he called them up. It was scary.”