New Delhi: A private bus overshoots a crowded stop, and passengers waiting on the road make a dash for its door. A vehicle honks from behind and the bus begins moving even as the conductor is still squeezing in another couple of passengers. Seconds later, the bus picks up speed and cuts across a couple of lanes to beat the traffic.On Delhi’s roads, such risky manoeuvres may seem routine. However, this tendency has come into sharp focus following the death of nine passengers in a fire on a Delhi-Mahoba private bus, whose regulatory trail is now under scrutiny. Records show it had 19 fines worth around Rs 1.7 lakh against it, while its registration, fitness and pollution certificates were issued in different states. Police are probing the incident of the blaze and whether safety norms on the bus were followed.The incident also puts the spotlight on what Delhi’s enforcement numbers reveal. Traffic police issued 44,484 on-the-spot challans to private buses between Jan 1 and Sept 24, 2026, up 22% from 36,452 in the corresponding period last year.But the increase was not uniform across categories, with some on-road violations rising while several compliance-related offences declined.The sharpest increase was seen in stopping- and parking-related violations. Incidents of improper or obstructive parking more than doubled, from 9,917 cases between Jan 1 and Sept 24, 2025 to 21,361 this year — a 115.4% rise. At Akshardham flyover, for instance, buses can be seen stopping mid-carriageway instead of at designated stops, with people abruptly waving them down. As a result, other vehicles have to slow down, change lanes or weave around these buses. Thus, a quick stop for picking up passengers results in a dangerous obstruction on a busy stretch.Among other major categories, cases of permit violations fell 14.6% — from 9,957 in the first nine months of 2025 to 8,506 in the corresponding period this year. RC violations declined 11.9% — from 4,189 to 3,691. There were 1,088 cases of dangerous driving, up marginally from 1,074 last year. But cases of disobeying lawful directions more than doubled, from 379 to 797, an increase of 110.3%. Instances of driving without a licence edged up by 4.2%, from 547 to 570.Several vehicle and document-related indicators showed a better trend. PUCC violations fell 51.5% — from 532 to 258, while cases of buses found without fitness certificates dropped 46.6%, from 103 to 55. Insurance-related violations declined 13.7%, from 226 to 195. High-beam violations fell 73.4%, from 263 to 70, while those concerning tinted glasses dropped 38.2%, from 89 to 55. Cases of drivers or conductors smoking fell from seven to three.However, the number of recorded cases of wrongful passing or overtaking increased from 23 to 27, while pressure-horn violations doubled — from 38 to 76.
