Watchdog’s bus fire investigation rules that incorrect repairs were factor in blazes

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has called for legislation to ensure buses are built with the least flammable materials. Picture: Ming Yeung/Getty

Incorrect repairs have led to fires breaking out on buses, with some drivers continuing to man their vehicles despite warning systems advising them to come to a halt, or because they were given the wrong advice by their depot, according to a damning report by a leading safety watchdog.

In a study into fire safety standards on the bus network, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said a “concerning” number of operators were claiming fires were due to “unknown” causes, with some submitting legally binding reports with “little” or “poor” information about incidents.

The UK Government executive agency has made a series of wide-ranging maintenance and training recommendations in the wake of its study ^[1], which scrutinised more than 240 incident reports or safety concerns raised with its vehicle safety branch between January 2020 and September last year .

A First Glasgow bus was destroyed by fire on the M74 last August. Picture: Traffic Scotland

It has also set up a new forum to review ongoing reports submitted by bus companies and ensure that best practices are followed. It comes on the back of concerns around a spate of bus fires in Scotland and further afield.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT ^[2]), the trade association for the UK’s bus and coach sector, said safety was of “paramount importance”. The body said it was working with the DVSA to raise awareness of good practice and fire safety.

The DVSA’s investigation highlighted evidence that showed incorrect repairs carried out on buses, with heat shields being left off vehicles, or instances where cables or fuel lines had been wrongly routed. The agency said repairs carried out to address an initial fault in vehicles were often focused on the fault, as opposed to the effect the fault may have had on other systems.

“It is clear when a vehicle has overheated, in addition to fixing the fault, consideration needs to be given to the degradation effect the overheating may have caused,” its report stated. “Often the damage caused is irreversible and this can lead to future or premature failures or even fires.”

Its analysis scrutinised 242 incident reports or safety concerns raised with the DVSA’s vehicle safety branch between January 2020 and September 2022, with temperature logging equipment also used to assess the engine bay temperatures of buses in operational use.

It found bus operators were unable to determine the cause of the fire in 88 of those incidents – over a third of the overall cases. The DVSA said the number of fires where the cause was identified as unknown was “concerning”.

It pointed out that in a sample of 30 fires reported over a six-month period that gave the cause as unknown, some 24 cases did not have a fully completed investigation report submitted to DVSA. It also said some reports did not include any investigation into the root cause of the fire.

Its analysis of the impact of drivers also found as well as driving buses despite warnings advising them not to, some drivers were not always clear on the evacuation procedures for their vehicles, and “may not” take the correct action if a fire were to break out. The report also pinpointed evidence of drivers “being given incorrect advice by depots to continue driving” where they should not have done so.

In May last year, Scotland on Sunday revealed ^[3] there had been at least five major incidents over the previous four months in which several vehicles were destroyed. A passenger bus en-route from its Blantyre depot to start its passenger service run was destroyed by fire ^[4] in August last year on the M74. Two months beforehand, pupils had to flee a school bus that caught fire near Port of Menteith in June, which Stirling Council described as a “scary incident”.

Graham Simpson ^[5], the Scottish Conservative shadow transport minister, said: “The findings from the DVSA investigation are deeply concerning. One incident has been one too many and this report must signal a change in how bus fires are reported by operators and drivers, particularly in how quick they are reported."

Scottish Labour’s transport spokesman Alex Rowley said: “This astonishing report raises a number of very serious concerns. Safety must come first and if these issues are not addressed, the consequences could be catastrophic.”

Jill Reilly, transport spokeswoman for the Scottish Lib Dems, said: “Bus passengers in Scotland will want to know how many of their services have been affected by these issues. If safety reports are being filled in in a half-hearted fashion, that would be extremely troubling.

“Our bus network is fractured and riven by constant battles over the withdrawal of services. If the Government are to tempt people out of private cars, then the public need to know that they can rely on services that are safe and efficient.”

Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay said: “Operators cannot be allowed to cut corners when it puts people’s safety at risk. There is no profit margin that can justify the lax decision making outlined in this report.”

According to the report, the leading cause for fires – some 46 cases – was down to problems with ancillary vehicle components such as alternators or starter motors, followed by electrical faults, which accounted for 38 of the reported incidents.

Both engine failure and maintenance or repair issues accounted for 29 cases apiece, with arson or external factors, such as ticket bins catching fire due to discarded cigarettes, accounting for six of the reported fires.

In its recommendations, the DVSA said repairs and servicing should be signed off as complete by a trained and competent person, with any outstanding recalls completed. It also emphasised the need for drivers to be trained in safe evacuation procedures.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said: “Academic research shows that buses may be significantly riskier than cars, trains, ships or aircraft, mainly due to the less-stringent fire-safety requirements governing them, and concern that the probability of bus fires is two to three times higher than cars.

“We need to have legislation introduced that governs the manufacture of buses in this country, ensuring that the least flammable materials are used.”

Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science at Imperial College London’s department of mechanical engineering, said: “There is clear room to improve the fire safety of buses. In addition to better maintenance and more driving training as proposed by the report, I advocate also for the use of less flammable materials in the interior of buses, and for better layers of protection in detection, compartmentation, evacuation and suppression.”

A spokesman for the CPT said: “The safety of the public and employees is of paramount importance to the bus sector. While fires on buses are very rare, the sector takes all safety matters seriously and is working with the DVSA to raise awareness of fire safety and good practice amongst our members and their employees.”

A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said: “Vehicle safety is a reserved matter that is dealt with by the DVSA. Road safety remains an absolute priority for this government, and that includes the safety of those using buses. We welcome the findings and recommendations of the report, and hope that this will lead to improvements in quality and maintenance of existing fleets whilst supporting the existing regulatory framework responsible for vehicle safety on bus services.”

References

^{^} study (www.gov.uk)
^{^} CPT (www.cpt-uk.org)
^{^} revealed (www.scotsman.com)
^{^} destroyed by fire (www.scotsman.com)
^{^} Graham Simpson (www.scotsman.com)