To safeguard bus passengers, the Dakshina Kannada district administration has mandated that all buses registered since 2017 must install doors without exception. Despite three months passing since the directive was issued in February this year, many city buses affected by this mandate are still operating without doors. Nischit D’Souza, a city-based doctor, has highlighted recent incidents of passengers accidentally falling from buses, urging the district administration to enforce the rule for the safety of all passengers, particularly students who often travel hanging on the footboards during peak hours.
DC Mullai Muhilan MP acknowledged the delay in implementation, attributing it to the general elections. He mentioned that he has yet to receive a report on whether bus owners have submitted the required affidavits but promised to address the issue within a week. Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners Association president Azeez Parthipady admitted to the directive but pointed out a conflict with the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which exempts city buses from installing doors due to the inconvenience it would cause on narrow city roads without bus bays.
Under section 155 of the KMVR, “Every entrance and exit of a stage carriage, not being a stage carriage operating within the limits of a municipal council, municipal corporation, or cantonment duly constituted or declared under any law for the time being in force, shall be fitted with doors to prevent passengers from falling out.” Azeez noted that while new buses can install hydraulic doors, these could pose additional risks when opening on narrow city roads. He acknowledged that while the DC’s mandate must be adhered to if insisted upon, it is not currently mandatory under the KMVR.