BEST electric bus catches fire in Mumbai’s Chembur; driver spots smoke in time

A Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) electric bus caught fire near Chembur Camp in Mumbai, close to the monorail station, around 8 am on Sunday. No injuries were reported. The wet-lease bus, operated by Shree Maruti Travels (Daga Group) out of the Deonar depot, was travelling from Mahul Gaon to Trombay on route A-365 when the driver noticed smoke emerging from beneath the cabin.

An inspection revealed a spark in the battery box, causing a short circuit that ignited the fire. Staff used all three onboard fire extinguishers to put out the blaze within 15 minutes. After the fire was controlled, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) arrived, disconnected the battery, and removed it as a precaution.

Local police, BEST Undertaking personnel, and municipal ward staff also responded to the site. This incident follows several recent fires involving the BEST fleet. In May, an empty electric double-decker bus operated by Switch Mobility caught fire at the Kurla depot after being removed from service due to a technical fault.

Later that month, two CNG-powered BEST buses caught fire at the Sion-Pratiksha Nagar depot within an hour of each other. Following those incidents, BEST ordered fleet-wide safety inspections and mandated strict verification before releasing any vehicle into service.