At around 08:30 BST on Saturday, 4th September, a bendy bus caught fire outside Victoria Mainline Station, one of London's busiest railway stations. Fire crews were called to deal with the thick black smoke which was seen billowing from the number 73 on Terminus Place, opposite the station.
The driver escaped without injury, luckily there were no passengers on board. Transport for London (TfL) said; "Much of Terminus Place has been closed while investigations take place, although buses will still be stopping nearby".
The question we at the Anderson Shelter would like to ask Mr Hendy is;
In the interest of passenger safety, will you be withdrawing all bendy buses from service until an investigation finds the cause of this latest bendy bus fire, as this is not the first time fires have broken out on these highly unsuitable vehicles.
As you will remember TfL withdrew 670 TX4's from service when a small number (7) suffered engine fires. These vehicles were not allowed back into service for (in some cases) months and Taxi Drivers had to suffer the financial penalties of losing their vehicles, with weeks off work as garages ran out of spare cabs. Click here to see BBC coverage
So, seeing as how the Taxi trade has to operate under a Health and safety culture, imposed on us by TfL through the LTPH, will they also adhere to the same high standards they imposed on us, or is this just another case of, "do as I say, not as I do".
These Bendy Buses are much loved by Peter Hendy, apparently he won't allow them to be called Bendy Buses at TfL, he prefers artic's (articulated) buses. Most younger travellers just call them "Free Buses" as you can nip on the back without being seen by the driver.
They must have cost London's Tax payers a fortune, fare dodgers, alterations to roads, Junctions, constantly breaking down, getting stuck and bursting into flames. Most major cities around the world that had introduced these vehicles have now scrapped them.
They must have cost London's Tax payers a fortune, fare dodgers, alterations to roads, Junctions, constantly breaking down, getting stuck and bursting into flames. Most major cities around the world that had introduced these vehicles have now scrapped them.
Boris Johnson made a pre-election pledge to get rid of this vehicle but went back on his promise (like most politician) as soon as he met resistance from pressure groups.
Still we wont be holding our breath as we know TfL concern for passenger safety seems to have melted along with the bendy bus. We learned to day that London Underground chiefs are to use untrained volunteers, to man the underground station while the Tube strike is on.
Still we wont be holding our breath as we know TfL concern for passenger safety seems to have melted along with the bendy bus. We learned to day that London Underground chiefs are to use untrained volunteers, to man the underground station while the Tube strike is on.
Does anybody know how many bendy buses have caught fire so far, because it's a disgrace that there hasn't been some sort of investigation as to why they catch light and why haven't they pulled them of the road.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a Taxi we would have been given a time schedule to take them of the road, so why don't they do the same for buses.
It's one rule for them and another for us.
This bus didn't 'catch fire', it was set on fire by an arsonist.
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