Electric bus explosion still unexplained

The media are reporting that electric park and ride buses are returning to the streets of York following safety inspections.

Bus fire

One of the park and ride fleet caught fire last week in the Hungate area.

No one was hurt but there were small explosions in the vehicle which was substantially damaged.

There is still no explanation from either First  or the Council about the cause of the fire and the subsequent explosions.

Passengers will expect to be given more information and we would expect that both local Councillors and MPs would be actively seeking an explanation.

Electric buses off the road in York?

New electric bus fleet launched last week

New electric bus fleet launched last month

As we said yesterday, it would be prudent to suspend the use of electric buses in York until the cause of yesterdays vehicle fire had been established.

It seems that, after some dithering, First intend to do just that.

Safety must come first and we were concerned that comments from the York Council (which lets the contract for the Park and Ride services on which the buses are used) and local bus managers implied yesterday that the buses would continue in use.

In petrol powered engines, fires were not uncommon. Fires are comparatively rare in newer vehicles and, those that do occur, can usually be traced to faulty electrical components.

New technology – like that deployed in the battery powered bus fleet – is another matter. The technology is in its infancy and , although inherently safer than the internal combustion alternative, deployment needs to be cautious.

A quick investigation should reveal the cause of the fire.

If, for example, it turns out that a spanner was left by maintenance staff in the engine compartment, and this led to the short circuit which caused the fire, then that would  be one thing. A relatively easy fix (count the spanners!) and get the buses back on the road!

If a component has been incorrectly fitted then again the remedy is obvious.

Only if faulty components or – heaven forbid – a design flaw is revealed would an extensive and debilitating delay become inevitable.

We are after all just going through the first sustained period of warm weather since the large scale introduction of the buses in the City and who knows whether that might be factor?

So full marks to First for adopting a cautious approach, albeit a little late in the day.

They, and the Council, now face the headache of back-filling the gaps in the Park and Ride fleet.

Hopefully the York Council will now be open and transparent about the incident and the action that is being taken.

UPDATE: First say that the vehicle manufacturers are undertaking precautionary checks on the fleet. Park and Ride services are unaffected.

House Fire – Askham Lane, York

Fire appliances from Acomb and York have dealt with a fire in a semi detached house on Askham Lane in York early this morning.

Crews arrived on scene to discover a first floor bedroom well alight.

The fire was extinguished using 4 breathing apparatus, 2 hosereel jets, a positive pressure ventilation fan and a thermal imaging camera.

A first floor bedroom suffered severe fire, heat and smoke damage. The remainder of the first floor suffered severe smoke damage and the ground floor suffered moderate smoke damage.

4 occupants (2 adults and 2 teenagers) in the property at the time of the fire managed to escape prior to the arrival of fire crews. They have been taken to hospital with possible smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is believed to be an overheated electrical appliance.