Mumbai: RTO Moves to Revoke License of BEST Bus Driver After Deadly Kurla Accident

Mumbai, 19th December 2024: The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles department has initiated the process of revoking the driving license of Sanjay More, the bus driver responsible for the fatal BEST bus accident on December 9, which resulted in nine deaths and 40 injuries.

Officials confirmed on Thursday that a show-cause notice was issued to More by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Wadala as part of the procedure to revoke his license. The process began earlier this week, according to Deputy Regional Transport Officer Pallavi Kothawade. The Mumbai police had recommended the license revocation due to the severity of the incident. “We issued the notice to More on Monday, and further action will be taken based on his response, by the Motor Vehicles Act,” Kothawade said.

On the night of December 9, an electric BEST bus driven by More collided with several vehicles in Kurla, Mumbai, causing nine fatalities and multiple injuries, along with extensive damage to the vehicles involved.

More, who had held his license for 23 years, will be prohibited from driving any vehicle once his license is revoked. He had been employed by a third-party agency supplying drivers to EVEY TRANS, a subsidiary of electric bus manufacturer Olectra. More had four years of experience driving minibuses for BEST and started operating the 12-meter e-bus involved in the accident in December after switching companies.

RTO records show that More’s transport category license was issued on July 5, 1990, initially for light motor vehicles, with a heavy vehicle license granted in 1991. Additionally, he obtained a driver’s badge in 1999, which is required for driving public service vehicles such as BEST and MSRTC buses.