Why India’s private intercity buses are death traps on wheels and will remain so

Two fires aboard sleeper buses in just a week have killed 41 people and raised questions, once again, over the safety of a mode of transport that lakhs of Indians rely on across the country daily. Since 2013, there have been at least seven major fires on buses that killed over 130 people. There were, of course, many more smaller fires and near-misses which didn’t make the headlines. The latest incidents, 21 killed in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool on October 24 and 20 lives lost in Thaiyat village of Rajasthan on October 14, have raised the same concerns: flammable interiors, blocked or narrow exits, non-existent or inoperable emergency exits, no safety equipment, little time for passengers to react, and poorly-trained staff. Despite official safety standards being upgraded, a lack of impl