Bridge smash takes roof off £60,000 revamp bus

The new Gobananas Club Class Bus, which caters for stag and hen parties, was being driven around the Capital as part of its launch yesterday when it struck the bridge on Roseburn Street and got stuck.

There were four promotional staff on board at the time, as well as the driver, but nobody was seriously injured.

The impact of the collision caused the only member of staff on the top deck to stumble down the stairs.

The man suffered minor injuries but did not need to attend hospital.

Mark Scott, 36, director of the company, who jokingly referred to the damaged bus as "the banana split", said: "It was our promotional day and we were coming out of Murrayfield when the driver turned right and never saw the sign saying 12 feet 9, and unfortunately took the top of the bus off.

"I was downstairs at the time and I just heard a crunching noise and then there was a sudden stop.

"The driver was in complete shock and couldn't believe what had happened. She was absolutely gutted.

"It was just a slight human error. It wasn't because she was being careless or a bad driver, it was just one of those things. She's absolutely fabulous."

The Volvo bus, which was refurbished during the summer and can hold up to 70 people, was the latest to be introduced to the Club Class Bus fleet.

It had been kitted out with a nightclub music system, lights and a 54-inch flat-screen television which was situated on the top deck.

"The TV was upstairs so it was the first thing that got hit," Mr Scott said. "But what can you do? You have just got to take the attitude that you learn from it and move on."

If the bus is repairable, Mr Scott estimates it will cost between 10,000 and 20,000 to fix.

"I'm hoping it can be repaired. I will find out over the next couple of days," he said.

"If not, we will just have to write it off and hope not to go down that road again!"

A bus will arrive in the Capital from Newcastle to honour any forthcoming bookings that have been made, including those for this weekend.

Another two Gobananas Club Class Buses are being built and will be ready in January, one of which will be based in Edinburgh.

The road was blocked for several hours following yesterday's collision, which happened at around 2.20pm.

Train services on the main rail line between Glasgow and Haymarket were also disrupted for around ten minutes.

A spokesman for ScotRail said: "The line was closed for ten to 11 minutes just to check there was no passengers trapped on the bus. The knock-on effect to train services was minimal."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed that the road was reopened just before 5pm.

There are currently seven Club Class buses operating across the UK.