There were incidents of fire in 45 buses in three years.
Digital Desk, New Delhi. The central government said on Wednesday that in the last three years till December 10, 64 people had died in 45 incidents of fire in buses during operations, with Rajasthan having the highest number of deaths.
According to data from the Electronic Detailed Accident Report (eDAR) system, at least 45 people died in bus fire incidents in Rajasthan during this period.
The report also said Maharashtra recorded the highest number of bus fire incidents at nine, followed by Madhya Pradesh with eight. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also reported incidents of six bus fires each in the same three-year period.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari presented the report in the Rajya Sabha while replying to a question asked by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Das Gupta on the increasing number of such incidents.
The reply said that these figures do not include a recent accident, in which a bus collided with a motorcycle in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh on October 24, 2025 and then caught fire, resulting in the death of 25 people.
Government steps for bus safety
The government said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has taken several steps to improve bus safety, including making changes to the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 119 rules in 2016.
The changes made under the rule include installation of two fire extinguishers with a total capacity of 10 kg in buses. Mandating four exits for buses up to 12 meters long and one additional exit for longer buses, one near the driver and the other in the passenger compartment. Installation of fire detection and suppression system in the engine and no partition between passenger and driver compartments in all types of buses.