An Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) shuttle bus driver was arrested after allegedly driving into pedestrians near Jamalpur Pagathiya while under the influence of alcohol, placing renewed focus on safety checks for municipal transport drivers. The incident took place on Sunday and involved an AMTS bus operating on Route No. 143.
According to the report, the driver was apprehended by people at the spot after the bus entered a crowd of pedestrians. The crowd later handed him over to officers at Gaekwad Haveli Police Station. No major injuries were reported in the incident.
The driver was arrested by the Traffic ‘E’ division under Section 281 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 177 and 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Section 281 relates to rash driving or riding on a public way, while the Motor Vehicles Act provisions cited in the case concern traffic violations and dangerous driving.
The incident has raised questions about how drivers are screened before taking municipal buses on city routes. Advocate Atik Sayyed, a resident of Jamalpur, called for an immediate first information report and legal action against the driver for allegedly driving under the influence and endangering citizens.
Sayyed also demanded that the AMTS administration suspend the driver immediately and permanently dismiss him from service. He called for mandatory alcohol breathalyser tests for drivers at every AMTS depot before buses leave for their routes.
The episode is significant because AMTS buses operate within dense urban areas where vehicles share narrow roads and crowded junctions with pedestrians, two-wheelers and other public transport services. A driver impairment incident in such a setting can affect not only bus passengers but also people walking near stops, markets and intersections.
The report also referred to several recent incidents involving allegations of drunken driving by AMTS personnel in Ahmedabad. In July, AMTS terminated 13 drivers, while the Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System dismissed three drivers following a series of accidents and serious misconduct complaints.
The latest arrest puts attention on both individual criminal liability and the transport authority’s internal safeguards. The police case will determine the driver’s legal responsibility, while AMTS faces demands to disclose whether routine medical or alcohol checks are conducted before drivers begin duty.
The police investigation and any administrative action by AMTS will establish the next steps in the case, including the charges pursued against the driver and the authority’s response to the demand for depot-level breathalyser testing.
