Mumbai, Jul 15 (PTI) A double-decker electric bus taken on lease by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) caught fire in south Mumbai on Tuesday morning, officials said.
No injuries were reported in the blaze that broke out around 9.15 am on the bus plying on route 138 in the Fort area near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, they said.
This is the first incident of fire involving double-decker electric buses inducted in the BEST fleet in the last three years.
A fire engine was rushed to the spot, and the blaze was doused immediately, a fire official said.
A BEST spokesperson said the double-decker bus is one of the 50 buses that the public transport body has taken on lease from Switch Mobility, a subsidiary of automobile manufacturer Ashok Layland.
He said the affected bus had departed from Bhatia Baug next to CSMT and was heading to the Backbay Depot.
“The blaze erupted near a high-voltage battery located next to the front left tyre,” the spokesperson said.
The bus was packed at the time of the incident, but the driver steered it to the side as soon as he noticed the fire, and passengers alighted safely, he said.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained as yet, but authorities suspect a short circuit may have been the trigger. PTI KK GK ARU
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