New Delhi, March 10 The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has constituted a committee to conduct a thorough investigation into an accident involving a cluster bus in west Delhi's Nihal Vihar area, in which two people were killed and two others were critically injured, officials said on Tuesday.
Following the accident, which took place on Monday, bus operators have been directed to conduct refresher training courses for drivers and ensure strict compliance with transport and traffic rules, the DTC said in a statement.
A notice has been issued to the operator of the offending bus, directing the immediate termination of the driver's services and taking all appropriate action for criminal and civil liabilities, it said.
The accident on the busy Najafgarh-Nangloi road caused chaos in the area as hundreds of residents and family members gathered at the spot in protest, alleging that two DTC buses, each carrying around 10 passengers, were racing against each other.
In a report about the accident, the DTC said a cluster bus (operated by a private company) on the Najafgarh-Narela route was involved in the accident, which took place around 9:35 am on Monday.
The bus belonged to Bawana Depot–5 and is operated by Intact Motors, the report said.
According to information, the bus was on a trip from Dichaon Kalan towards Narela and was being driven "recklessly" by the driver. A scooter carrying two persons approaching from the "wrong direction" came under the bus, and both riders died on the spot, the DTC report said.
Subsequently, the bus collided with two scooters carrying three riders and struck one pedestrian who was crossing the road, affecting a total of six people.
The offending bus then collided with a DTC bus from Naraina Depot from the rear left side, it added.
Local residents immediately shifted the injured persons to a hospital in Nangloi.
The angry crowd gathered at the accident site and set fire to one bus, also vandalising 12 other buses belonging to different depots, the report said.
According to the Delhi Traffic Police, DTC and cluster buses have been involved in 150 road accidents, including 41 fatal ones, in 2024-25.
In response to the high number of road accidents involving DTC drivers, the Delhi Traffic Police conducts a day-long road safety awareness programme every Wednesday exclusively for DTC drivers at the Traffic Training Park auditorium in Punjabi Bagh.
Over 200 drivers receive training every week on road safety measures, responsible driving behaviour, challan procedures, soft skills, stress and time management, the traffic police said.
Over speeding, lane violations, mobile phone use while driving, and poor adherence to traffic rules have been identified by traffic experts as key causes of accidents involving DTC drivers, prompting the Delhi Traffic Police to introduce weekly awareness classes to reduce such incidents.
More than 6,400 DTC and cluster buses operate daily in the capital, ferrying lakhs of passengers, according to Delhi government data.