Passengers find BMTC driver drunk at the wheel

Bengaluru: A BMTC driver was taken off the wheels after he was found to be driving the bus under the influence.

Lokesh (30) was driving the bus from Harohalli to the City Market when passengers realised he was drunk.

At 2.30 pm, when the bus was in front of the JP Nagar metro station, they asked the driver to get off the wheels, and intimated the police.

The Kumaraswamy traffic police, who rushed to the spot and subjected Lokesh to the breathalyser test, found his blood alcohol levels to be nearly 10 times the permissible level. Lokesh had 320 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, while the permissible limit is 30 mg per 100 ml of blood.

While an alternative bus was arranged for passengers to continue their journey, Lokesh - a native of Ramanagaram - was taken to the police station, where his licence was confiscated.

The police will send his licence with the drunken driving challan to the RTO for further action.

They have also informed BMTC officials at depot number 3 where the bus assigned to Lokesh used to be parked.

BMTC officials said they would conduct an inquiry and take disciplinary action against Lokesh.

Confirming that Lokesh will be subjected to an inquiry, a BMTC official said, "Action against the driver will depend on the outcome of the inquiry."

DH News Service