Stagecoach banned from new services in Strathtay over safety concerns

Published on Tuesday 26 April 2011 17:22

BUS operator Stagecoach has been banned from expanding its services in the Strathtay area for the next four months, after the Traffic Commissioner branded a string of safety incidents as "dramatic and worrying".

The company, co-founded by businessman Brian Souter, received three formal warnings after an investigation into a number of incidents of wheels having fallen off buses - and a fire in the engine of one vehicle.

The incidents were the subject of a public inquiry held in March.

"Wheel loss incidents are of great concern to me," Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, Joan Aitken, said yesterday. "They have the potential to cause serious damage including death and injury and also damage to property."

While the warnings alone have been handed to the company's Perth, Glasgow and Stagecoach divisions, its Strathtay arm - which covers a large area between Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen - will not be allowed to increase its existing fleet of 160 buses until the end of August.

In Strathtay, one driver took it upon himself to contact the Traffic Commissioner about his worries over the safety of the bus he was driving.

Ms Aitken added: "These episodes are not numerous having regard to the mileage operated but they are dramatic and worrying. I do not find them to be so concerning that I must curtail the current authorisation but to mark my concerns over these episodes I will put a condition on the licence preventing any increase in the current authorisation of 160 vehicles and that for four months from today."

Stagecoach, which is based in Perth, is one of five firms dominating the UK's bus market and is the second-biggest operator of bus services in Scotland as well as being a major player in the UK rail market.

No passengers were hurt in the incidents, which took place between May 2009 and January 2010.

Stagecoach, which carried out a "major incident investigation" into the first wheel loss case, said during the public inquiry that it had been the first incident of its kind in 20 years.

A Stagecoach spokesman said yesterday: "We fully accept the decision of the Traffic Commissioner and are committed to implementing her recommendations. Public transport continues to be the safest way to travel. We will continue to keep our safety arrangements under review and put in place any further measures that are necessary.

"The safety of our passengers and staff is our absolute priority. All of our vehicles are subject to a strict maintenance regime, which goes beyond what is required by law."

He added that the company had taken out additional safety procedures, including reviewing the guidelines on wheel torque settings with its bus manufacturer.

"While none of the incidents involved resulted in any injuries to passengers, we took them extremely seriously and carried out a detailed and thorough investigation into each case," he said."Disciplinary action was taken where there was a failure to follow our strict safety processes."

Gavin Booth, chairman of passenger group Bus Users UK, said Stagecoach generally had a good safety record.

"It is generally regarded as one of the better bus companies in Scotland," he said. "I think these are warning shot penalties by the Traffic Commissioner."

The ruling came just a day after Stagecoach announced plans to expand its Megabus budget transport services across the UK - including bringing in additional journeys from Perth and Edinburgh to Newcastle, Sheffield and London. The company said yesterday's ruling would not affect Megabus plans.