Mumbai, July 9 -- A 43-year-old man had a narrow escape after a reversing 12-metre-long BEST bus hit him and pinned him against a roadside tree planter in Bhandup on Wednesday morning, renewing concerns over the operation of full-sized buses on narrow roads. According to officials, the electric bus was negotiating a sharp turn in reverse when its rear struck a pedestrian, identified as Atul Padave, who got trapped between the vehicle and a large roadside tree planter. As bystanders rushed to push the bus forward to free Padave, the driver allegedly lost control and crashed into two parked motorcycles and an autorickshaw. Padave, who suffered blunt injuries to both his thighs and was bleeding, was rushed to Agarwal Hospital in Mulund for treatment. The accident occurred around 8.30 am on a congested road in Konkan Nagar near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Talao in Bhandup. The electric bus, operating on route A-425, belongs to private operator PMI Mobility, although the driver and conductor were BEST employees at the time of the accident, officials said. The incident has once again highlighted concerns over operating 12-metre buses on narrow, internal roads in Mumbai's suburbs. BEST had decided to avoid using 12-metre buses on narrow roads after the December 2025 accident in Kurla, when a similar bus had rammed into several pedestrians and parked vehicles, resulting in seven deaths and dozens of injuries. Following Wednesday's incident, the undertaking has launched an inquiry to determine why the bus had to reverse while taking the turn and whether road geometry or operational issues contributed to the incident, officials said. BEST driver unions said they have demanded that 12-metre-long buses be avoided at all congested areas and narrow roads. "The administration will only blame the driver. They should reintroduce smaller, seven-metre buses. We have suggested that the BEST should terminate this bus route 2-3 stops prior, where there is an adequate turning radius," said Uday Amonkar, president, BEST Kruti Samiti, an umbrella body of several BEST unions. According to BEST staff members familiar with the route, the Konkan Nagar bus stop has long been identified as a difficult location because of its limited turning radius and congested surroundings. "The driver does not get sufficient space to negotiate the turn. We had repeatedly informed the Oshiwara depot management about the problem, but no corrective action was taken. Under such conditions, accidents are bound to happen," said a BEST staff member. Wednesday's accident comes amid growing scrutiny of BEST's bus operations. Last month, a man was killed and six others were injured after a BEST electric bus rammed into two cars and several other vehicles in Dadar....