There were no indicators pointing to the fact that the bus was stationary nor had the driver ensured that someone stand near the rear of the bus and divert the traffic away from the vehicle. The Blueline bus was plying on route no 306 from Shahadara. The driver had left the bus unattended on the bridge for more than two hours, between 10 a.m. and 12 noon when the accident occurred.

Bluelines have killed ten people and seriously injured 17 others in the first month of their re-introduction in September alone. And the number of fatal accidents caused by Bluelines in increasing everyday.

The Traffic Department officials allege that the killer buses do not stop at red lights; they overspeed at busy hours, run over anything and anyone who obstructs their path; the drivers do not carry any permits or licenses; they don't mind driving drunk, they drop commuters standing on the footboard while in motion crushing them under their rear wheels. As many as 3,397 Blueline buses have been prosecuted for committing various traffic related offences including violation of permit, overspeeding, jumping red lights and drunken driving in the past 42 days, between September 1 and October 12.

The traffic officials say there is nothing much they can do to improve the prevailing state of affairs: ``We have prosecuted 34,857 Blueline buses this year and impounded as many as 3,713. Till September 30, we had arrested 389 Blueline bus drivers under various Acts. However, we realise that punitive action does not act as a deterrent to either dangerous driving or committing traffic offences''.

The Bluelines were allowed back on the Capital's roads because the government stood to gain by issuing a six-month temporary permit to bus operators as it aimed to bring in at least Rs 25 lakh to the exchequer, sources claim. There were 2,400 Bluelines off the roads earlier. To resume operations, each owner had to pay Rs 500 for obtaining temporary permits.