An AMTS bus driver was removed from service and the agency operating the vehicle was fined ₹50,000 after the driver allegedly drove under the influence of alcohol and caused an accident near the Jamalpur steps in Ahmedabad, raising fresh concerns about safety checks in the city’s public transport system.
The driver, identified as Suresh Rajput, was operating route number 143’s shuttle bus when the incident occurred. According to the report, the bus was being driven while the driver was intoxicated, putting passengers and people travelling on the road at risk. No deaths were reported in the incident.
Local residents reportedly stopped the driver and handed him over to personnel at the Gaekwad Haveli police station. An AMTS official confirmed that the driver was in an intoxicated condition and said he had been removed from service with immediate effect. The official also confirmed that Arham, the agency responsible for operating the bus, had been fined ₹50,000.
The action places responsibility on both the individual driver and the contracted operator. However, the incident also raises questions about the checks conducted before buses leave depots, particularly in a system where a single driver’s condition can affect passengers, pedestrians and other road users across an entire route.
Following the incident, Ahmedabad city Congress spokesperson Atik Saiyed demanded mandatory breathalyser tests for drivers at all AMTS depots before they begin their routes. The demand is that buses should be allowed to leave only after drivers’ sobriety has been checked. Saiyed also sought legal action against the driver and called for his permanent removal from service.
The latest incident comes against the background of other reported disputes and safety-related concerns involving AMTS operations. In July, an AMTS bus collided with a divider near Ellisbridge, with suspicions reportedly raised about whether the driver was intoxicated. An inquiry was initiated into that case. In September, an altercation between AMTS and BRTS drivers over overtaking near Iskcon Crossroads disrupted bus operations and caused inconvenience to passengers.
Another reported case involved two electric AMTS buses operating with identical number plates. While that matter concerns vehicle identification and operational management rather than driver sobriety, the incidents collectively point to the range of controls required in a contracted public bus system, from driver fitness and route supervision to vehicle records and discipline.
AMTS has not been reported as announcing a city-wide breathalyser protocol following the latest incident. The immediate measures confirmed in the report are the driver’s removal from service and the ₹50,000 penalty imposed on the operating agency. Any further legal action and changes to depot-level testing will depend on the police and transport authorities’ next steps.
