Rising competition for bus passengers is being blamed for an increasing number of bus-related traffic accidents in the city.
During the past five days, four major bus accidents have lead to one death and sent more than 80 people to hospital.
Police and transport industry insiders have raised concerns about the way the local industry is run after seeing this sharp rise in bus accidents.
It is a common practice in the city for public transport companies to link the salaries paid to drivers and conductors to the number of passengers who ride their busses every day.
Police say that is a problem because a large number of local bus stops are used by a multiple number of buses owned by different companies that operate along similar routes.
Some drivers choose to accelerate the engine when approaching the next stop in an attempt to pick up any passengers ahead of their competitors. They also attempt to pass their competitors on the street whenever possible, a potential cause of many traffic accidents, said the insiders.
"Driving fast before reaching a stop is a potential cause of accidents," said Lu Jianguan, of the Traffic Police Accident Prevention Department.
Lu said constant and willful changing of lanes, a common but illicit measure many drivers take to compete with other buses, is also to blame for some accidents.
Most local bus drivers are experienced but still some of them are relatively weak at handling emergency situations behind the wheel, said an official from Shanghai Dazhong Bus Corp, who requested anonymity.
Of the four recent accidents, the latest happened yesterday when a No. 973 bus injured a rider on a three-wheeled bicycle cart on Shangnan Road in Pudong.
A witness said the middle-aged woman looked to be severely injured and was sent to hospital by police.
The driver was late hitting the brakes when a traffic light turned red and crashed his bus into the woman.
On Sunday, a free shuttle bus run by a supermarket crashed into a streetlights on Cao'an Road, sending 27 passengers to hospital, five of whom were seriously injured.
A No. 62 bus suddenly crashed into pedestrians waiting to cross the street at an intersection in Putuo District on Saturday. The accident claimed the life of an elderly man, seriously injuring a 65-year-old man and left 11 others with various injuries.
More than 40 people were sent to hospital after a collision between a No. 737 bus and two No. 44 buses on last Thursday. All four accidents are still being investigated, police said.