Metro buses to be overhauled to prevent mishaps

Decision comes after faulty metro bus catches fire in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab Mass Transit Authority has decided to overhaul and repair all metro buses commuting between the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The decision came after a metro bus with passengers aboard caught fire near the Rehmanabad station on Thursday morning.

Sources said that help will also be sought from Chinese experts. In this regard, the fitness certificates and maintenance history of all metro buses has been collected, the sources said adding that fire extinguishers will also be increased in all buses and at stations.

The sources in the Punjab Mass Transit Authority told The Express Tribune that an investigation into the fire incident in a metro bus near the Rehmanabad metro station was under way.

They said that experts have initially attributed the fire to either the failure of the bus’s cooling system or a short circuit.

The sources said that all aspects of the fire incident will be investigated to determine the cause so that steps could be taken to prevent fire incidents in the future. They said that a final report will be made public in a few days.

The sources said that a comprehensive report containing suggestions will be sent to the Punjab government seeking funds to overhaul the overall metro bus service.

Currently, around 40 buses are commuting between the twin cities.

On Thursday, the metro bus service remained suspended between the twin cities for five hours after the fire incident and as a result, passengers had to face serious problems.

According to eyewitnesses, the metro bus with female and male passengers to the brim left the Saddar station for Islamabad at 8:30 am but its fuel tank started to leak at the Waris Khan station. They said that as soon as it reached Rahmanabad station, the bus started catching fire. As a result, plumes of smoke entered the bus and a stampede ensued. The bus driver prudently opened all the doors of the bus and the panicked passengers jumped out of the bus. In a moment, they said, the fire engulfed the entire bus and the fire also engulfed and damaged the Rehmanabad station as well.

Initially, the metro bus administration said that no casualty was reported in the incident. It said that all passengers managed to get off the bus due to the common sense of the driver.

The metro bus administration said that the service was restored after the affected bus was removed from the track.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2022.