India, Sept. 23 -- Amid concerns that operators sometimes run buses with faults to meet daily operating targets, BEST has decided to increase penalties on wet-lease operators for putting buses with technical defects on the road. The proposal comes days after a wet-leased BEST bus on route 312 was involved in an accident at GTB Nagar, where its driver reported that the brake pedal got stuck while trying to stop the vehicle.

BEST currently fines operators Rs.500 per day when its staff detects a technical defect, with the maximum penalty capped at Rs.3,000 per bus. BEST Committee members have sought higher penalties to discourage operators from running buses after faults have been flagged.

"There is a need to increase the penalties on the ...