Hyderabad: The Vemuri Kaveri bus that caught fire in the Hyderabad-Bengaluru route near Kurnool has a long list of complaints and challans. Passengers had flagged poor air-conditioning and shabby upkeep week after week, and police records listed 16 challans for rule violations, including dangerous driving and wrong-side driving. Yet the bus with registered number DD01N9490 kept its Hyderabad to Bengaluru rotation, running one day and returning the next, operating in tandem with another bus (NL07B0770).
On travel platform redBus, the two buses had gained 3.9 stars across more than 500 reviews. But the comments were not kind. “AC was not good,” wrote one rider. “The bus condition was not good,” said another.
Several described late arrivals and indifferent staff. A passenger detailed a night ride where damaged seats, loose curtain rods tied with a metal string and a vent that “automatically opens up” made sleep impossible. Another reported a breakdown and waiting five hours for a replacement. A frequent refrain appears across tags on the platform. Punctuality, staff behaviour, cleanliness and AC appeared seriously out of order.
The operator’s other listings on the corridor sold a different picture. Screens showed the same brand advertising new buses, some with higher star scores and ticket fares rising to over Rs 3,000. One listing flashes 100 per cent on time and a bus assignment history predicting a new bus on the travel date. Yet the feedback loop continues. Recent entries again mention AC problems, broken outlets and water bottles not provided.
When it comes to the challans, between January and October 2025, police stations from Miyapur and Medchal to KPHB, Gachibowli, Vanasthalipuram and Patancheru booked the same vehicle. One challan recorded the bus being operated by a driver without a driving licence. Another, filed on PVNR Expressway, noted speeding on a corridor where buses are barred. The fines totalled
Rs 23,120 and the most recent was issued on October 8 for blocking traffic within KPHB limits.
Registration details for the accident showed an Odisha record with Rayagada RTO. The vehicle was an ‘Omni Bus’ diesel, Bharat Stage III, first registered on August 8, 2018. Fitness was valid to March 31, 2027, insurance April 20, 2026, PUCC to October 31, 2025, permit to April 30, 2030 and an all-India tourist permit to July 31, 2026. The company’s fleet running this route features plates from outside the city of operation, including DD and NL series.
According to G. Prathap Reddy, retired additional director of fire services, speed governance and basic suppression fitments are non-negotiable. “No bus should run beyond 100 kilometres per hour,” he said, calling for auto fire-extinguishing systems with tubing along the length of the coach and small hammers at every window for emergency egress. He also added that responsibility is on the transport department. “They should check once in six months and such checks cover both inside and outside the vehicle.”
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