The Andhra Pradesh government is considering a ban on private sleeper buses following a recent spate of deadly accidents involving such vehicles.
A cabinet sub-committee, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, discussed the matter on Tuesday, with officials flagging lax compliance with safety standards, including inadequate emergency exits and poor ventilation.
The government is initially examining the possibility of banning non-factory-built sleeper buses and will seek regulatory intervention from the Centre to restrict or prohibit unsafe sleeper coach operations.
Additionally, the government is implementing a series of safety measures, including regulating travel time based on distance between origin and destination, and requiring two drivers for private buses operating on routes longer than 300 kilometres.
