A KSRTC bus met with an accident on the Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway on Sunday. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus driver, while trying to avoid the toll plaza, drove the bus in the wrong direction and hit a bike near Kumbhalgodu on the Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway on Sunday morning. The bike rider died on the spot, while the person sitting behind was injured.

The deceased has been identified as Siddappa, an employee of a private company. Pillar rider has been admitted to a private hospital.

Kumbalgodu police, probing the matter, said the accident occurred due to rash and negligent driving by the KSRTC driver.

A KSRTC official said, “It was a Mysore-bound bus. It used to stop at Bidadi, Ramnagar and others. After crossing the Nees Road junction, the driver used the flyover of the expressway to reach Bidadi. After getting down from the flyover near the toll gate, they came to know that the way from the main train to the service was closed. Instead of entering the toll plaza, he decided to take a U-turn and drove the vehicle in the opposite direction. After running for about 1 km, the bus was involved in a fatal accident.

The official said that two days ago the road leading from the main train to the service road near Christ University was closed and the driver was not aware of it. “He assumed that the service could be accessed just before the toll. After coming to know that it was closed, he decided to return in the wrong direction. The accident happened on the flyover.

The official said the KSRTC had instructed the general bus drivers not to take the main carriageway of the expressway and instead use the service road. “We have asked only non-stop services and premier services to take the main carriageway of the expressway.”