Kurla bus crash: Daily commuters struggled as BEST suspended services following accident

People were stranded after services were suspended. Pic/Shadab Khan

The bus accident at Kurla on Monday evening caused a temporary suspension of all bus routes to Kurla station. This severely impacted the morning rush hour, with commuters having to walk a mile to the bus depot on LBS Road to catch a bus. Auto drivers took advantage of the situation by overcharging passengers.

There are nearly 10 to 15 routes outside Kurla station in the west. But on Tuesday none of them were working. The BEST bus office was also shut and there were intermittent announcements stating that no bus would arrive or depart there. Buses outside Kurla West station go in all directions, including BKC, Bandra, Worli, Marol, Andheri and Santacruz and are used by nearly 2 lakh plus commuters throughout the day.

Police officials stated that after the accident, along with the resulting deaths and injuries, the situation in Kurla West became tense. In fact, right after the accident and the chaos on Monday night, all BEST bus drivers abandoned their buses and left the scene.

"What was the reason for shutting all the buses? It led to a huge inconvenience for all of us in the morning. I have a bus pass and had to take an auto to go to BKC," commuter Indrani Joshi said. "I had to walk some distance to catch a bus," Aniket Divekar, another commuter said.

"I got a bus near the SCLR junction. A few good drivers of the passing buses were stopping there and helping commuters. I hope on Wednesday, they normalise the buses and allow them to come to the station," another commuter student Jatin Gala said.