Bus accidents keep happening every day in different parts of the country. Such cases also come to light from Delhi-Mumbai to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where passengers have lost their lives after getting trapped in buses. Now, to curb this, new guidelines have been issued by the government. Accordingly, an advisory has been issued to all States/UTs to follow AIS:052 and AIS:119 at the time of registration and during fitness inspection as per Rule 62 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.
The government has taken action after the recent incidents of fatal sleeper-bus fires on the Jaisalmer to Jodhpur route and the Kurnool to Bengaluru route.
In the incident of sleeper coach fire on Jaisalmer to Jodhpur route, it was observed that the length of the bus was more than the prescribed limit. Emergency doors did not meet minimum size requirements. Passenger seats obstructed access to the emergency door. Instead of two roof hatches, only one roof hatch was provided.
Apart from this, there was a ladder in the roof luggage carrier. There was a partition in the driver's cabin and a fire detection and suppression system was not installed as per the requirements of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) 1989. These changes should have been known to the local transport officials of the state government at the time of certification of the vehicle.
The total number of sleeper coaches registered as of February 6, 2026 is 49,616. Till now a total of 886 body builders have been recognized. In the incident of sleeper coach fire on Kurnool Bengaluru route, it was observed that only seating capacity was mentioned in the registration certificate of the bus.
The government believes that if these rules are strictly followed, the loss of life and property in bus accidents can be prevented to a great extent. Now it remains to be seen how seriously the transport agencies of the states implement these guidelines.
