App cab driver dies after being hit by a BEST bus in a road crash on Western Express Highway

Mumbai: An app cab driver lost his life after a BEST bus hit his parked car on the Western Express Highway in Malad East early Thursday. Samta Nagar Police registered an FIR against the bus driver, Brahma Pawar.

The incident occurred around 7 am at Pushpa Park near the Times of India Press bridge. The bus (route 440) was moving from Borivli East bus station to Wadala depot. The victim, Ramchandra Pal, had parked his app cab on a corner of WEH and was standing behind the vehicle to clean it.

A BEST spokesperson said the bus crashed into an app cab, resulting in a pile-up as the cab further collided into another car, damaging its rear right bumper and body. A severely injured Pal was rushed to the Shatabdi Hospital at Kandivli, where doctors pronounced him dead.

The Samta Nagar Police informed his family. Based on a statement given by his family members, police registered an FIR against Pawar for rash driving and negligence. Pal’s body was sent for an autopsy.

The BEST spokesperson said they would conduct an inquiry to ascertain the circumstances leading to the collision.

The incident sparked traffic snarls on WEH. The bus and the app cab were mangled due to the impact. Police got them removed to restore the flow of traffic.

Earlier on May 14, a 52-year-old BEST bus conductor died after he got sandwiched between two BEST buses in Andheri West. Shekhar Rawate died after suffering severe injuries in a pile-up involving four buses. On April 19, a woman narrowly escaped serious injury after a driverless BEST bus rolled backwards and crashed into a structure near Bhandup railway station. The incident took place in the busy station area, where the woman had stopped at a roadside stall to eat.

Officials attributed most crashes to two broad causes: human error and technical faults arising from defects in buses. To strengthen accountability among private suppliers, BEST will impose a penalty of Rs 50,000 on contractors in the event of a fatal mishap, besides recovering medical expenses of the injured. Officials said the financial deterrent is aimed at pushing contractors to enforce stricter compliance, improve maintenance standards and sensitise drivers on road safety.