Mumbai, Apr 18 (PTI) A probe has begun into the BEST e-bus fire near Churchgate railway station in south Mumbai, a senior official said on Friday.

The midi electric bus with registration number MH-01 DR 1327 caught fire on Maharshi Karve Marg at 9.50 pm on Thursday, when it was heading to J Mehta Marg on route 121. No one was hurt as the passengers, driver and conductor manage to alight in time.

“We have undertaken technical inspection of the Tata Motors electric bus that was partially charred in the fire. A detailed report has been sought from the technical team,” IAS officer SVR Srinivas, who is holding additional charge as the civic-run public transporter’s general manager, told PTI.

The vehicle’s upper portion, including the windows, was damaged by the time the fire brigade reached the site, another official said.

The bus was brought to Backbay depot in the night and a technical team from BEST as well as representatives of Tata Motors inspected it, this official informed.

As per the driver’s statement, the fire started from the battery section, he added.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking ferries around 30 lakh passengers every day with a fleet of more than 2800 buses, the majority of which are hired on wet lease.

In the wet lease model, private contractors provide drivers while taking care of bus maintenance and fuel expenses.

Incidentally, it is the second incident of fire on a wet-leased BEST bus in less than four months. Earlier, an Olectra bus caught fire on Babasaheb Ambedkar Road at Byculla after it hit an under-construction pillar in an attempt to save a biker on December 31, 2024.

This was the second fire incident involving a Tata Motors electric bus. On June 16, 2023 an electric bus from the firm caught fire at Malvani depot while being charged.

The BEST fleet includes 340 electric buses of both 9 metres and 12 metres of Tata Motors on wet lease. PTI KK BNM