#GoodNews: Driver Steers Course of Defunct Bus to Save 30 Lives

Kasim Shaikh managed to avert what could have been a tragic road accident.

Kasim Shaikh used the foot and handbrakes together to stop the bus. (Photo Courtesy: pmpml.org)

Kasim Shaikh, the driver of a dilapidated bus going from Pune’s Market Yard to Pimple Gurav, saved the lives of 30 passengers with his quick thinking and driving skills, the Pune Mirror reported.

When Shaikh, a contract driver with the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), was driving the bus on the Sancheti flyover on 3 January, he realised that the steering wheel had stopped working and that he had lost control of the vehicle.

He quickly used a combination of the hand and floor brakes to slow down the vehicle, saving the lives of 30 passengers on board.

I had just taken the turn on Sancheti flyover and was on my way down towards the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, when I heard a strange sound. It was that of the steering rod breaking and grazing the road. I didn’t realise what had happened and it was only when I tried steering the vehicle that I figured what was amiss. I tried to hit the brakes really hard, but that didn’t help much.

Once off the flyover, Shaikh rammed the bus into a dead wall of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) flyover. No one on board was hurt, while the windshield of the bus was shattered.

The incident occurred at around 1.15 pm. While the entire episode lasted only 30 seconds, it was nothing short of a nightmare for Shaikh, who has been driving heavy vehicles for at least two decades now.

Shaikh, who hails from Akalkot, came to Pune in 1972. He began working as a truck cleaner at the age of 15 before he learned to drive.

He was hired by the PMPML three years ago.

Shaikh believes his morning prayer rituals had helped avert a disaster.

We saw the bus heading towards us in a wayward manner and moved away. It then rammed into a dead wall. We realised what had happened only a little later. The driver was extremely sharp and remained calm, despite the challenge he faced.

Constable Subhash Kadam, Witness

After PMPML joint managing director, DP More, heard about the incident, he showered praise on Shaikh. “He did a commendable job and was able to avert a tragedy due to his presence of mind and experience. Other drivers too ought to learn a lesson or two from this experience,” More said.

(Source: Pune Mirror)