Sanjay More (54), the killer driver of a wet-leased BEST bus who fatally mowed down seven persons and injured 42 others outside Kurla railway station (W) on Monday, was operating an electric vehicle for the first time in his life that day.

The same morning, the company Evey Trans, which had wet-leased the bus to the BEST Undertaking, had asked More to take three rounds in the electric vehicle before he was assigned to operate the bus on Route no. 332 from Kurla station (W) to Agarkar Chowk, Andheri station on the east side. Strangely enough, the police have not even filed an FIR against the company for jeopardizing the lives of passengers by putting a person totally inexperienced in handling a heavy electric vehicle behind the wheel.

The police said they are waiting for the report of the Road Transport Organisation (RTO), which has been tasked with ascertaining if the vehicle had any defect, after which they will take action. It was also the job of the BEST administration to ensure that the drivers of wet-leased buses are properly trained. The Undertaking also failed to do that in this case.

According to the police, More had 30 years of experience in driving diesel buses. However, this was the first time he was handling an electric vehicle. More told the police that he lost control of the bus as it sped out of control during the accident. The bus was cruising at a speed of 60 kmph at the time of the crash on a highly congested road packed with illegal hawkers and autorickshaws. The fact that he was driving at 60 kmph underscores the rashness of his act. A professional driver, L. Ravi, said, “Given the congested nature of the road outside Kurla station, the speed ought to have been less than 30 kmph.”

The police are also trying to find out if More, who was not found drunk, was under any emotional stress. The police have summoned his family members to ascertain this angle. So far, the police have recorded the statements of 25 persons, including eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, Shashank Rao, general secretary of the BEST Employees’ Union, has demanded the immediate scrapping of the wet-leasing system. He said the Undertaking should buy its own buses and operate them with trained staff. Rao met the BEST general manager, Anil Diggikar, and handed over a memorandum containing the Union’s demands.