A private bus, allegedly being driven dangerously, grievously injured a pedestrian who was trying to cross the road in front of Bhowanipore police station on Saturday afternoon.

The incident happened on the Exide-bound flank of SP Mukherjee Road around 3pm.

Witnesses said the bus was moving at a high speed and did not stop to avert the collision with the pedestrian.

“The man, who appears in his 40s, had just crossed the road and was trying to board the bus when the incident happened,” said an officer of Bhowanipore police station.

The injured person has been admitted at SSKM Hospital.

The stretch that remains busy with vehicles and pedestrians alike, has traffic signals at close intervals and there is often a tendency to rush through them among buses, several motorists complained.

“As the gap between two signals is comparatively less, I have seen buses trying to speed past as many signals as they can whenever the signal is green,” said a resident of Tollygunge, who has to travel through the stretch everyday to reach his Girish Park office.

Police said on Saturday, the injured person — whose identity was yet to be ascertained — had been trying to cross the road from one direction or another, several times.

However, preliminary inquiry by the cops suggested that the bus hit the pedestrian when he was trying to board the bus through the front gate.

“One of the biggest problems with buses is their tendency to pick up and drop passengers even without bringing stopping the vehicle,” said an officer of the traffic department.

The offending bus of route 3C/1 had fled from the spot after hitting the man but was forced to stop at the next traffic signal that turned red before it could cross over.

The driver abandoned the bus and fled from the spot. A search has been launched for the driver.

According to the records available in Lalbazar, of the 267 people who had lost lives in road accidents in Calcutta in 2019, as many as 85 deaths were caused because of buses. Of the 85 people who died in accidents, 47 were pedestrians and 19 are bus passengers.

Officers of Bhowanipore police station have started a case of rash and negligent driving against the bus driver.

Senior official, however added that pedestrians should also follow traffic rules to avoid any accident.

“Pedestrians should avail zebra crossings and wait for the signal to turn red before stepping on the thoroughfare. This is basic,” said an officer of the traffic department.