Another EV Bus Goes Up In Flames In London

By Paul Homewood

 

Another EV bus goes up in flames:

 

 

Electric double-decker buses in London will remain in service despite growing safety concerns after one burst into flames in Wimbledon during the school-run.

A huge blast ripped off the back of an Optare Metrodecker 1050 bus travelling from Mitcham to Raynes Park in South West London at 7.20am.

It came nearly two years after all Metrodeckers were temporarily taken out of service for safety checks in May 2022 when two were involved in a fire at Potters Bar bus garage in Hertfordshire – before being returned to service days later.

More than 80 Metrodecker buses operate on eight London routes around the capital – the others being the numbers 23, 28, 134, 295, 317, 626 and N28.

Now, the City Hall Conservatives have called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to withdraw all the buses until the cause of the Wimbledon blaze is known.

But Transport for London (TfL), which has about 1,000 electric buses across its network, said it will not withdraw any Metrodeckers and has insisted they are safe.

A TfL spokeswoman told MailOnline: ‘London’s bus network remains safe to use and other buses in the fleet remain in service. TfL and bus operators will not hesitate to take action if required to ensure the network remains safe.’

While firefighters continue to investigate the cause, fire expert Neil Pederson said it was most likely due to an electrical fault and not linked to lithium batteries.

Meanwhile, a second London bus burst into flames this morning, completely destroying it less than 24 hours after the Wimbledon incident.

The hybrid vehicle caught fire in North Woolwich, East London, just before 7am today – with onlookers shouting ‘what the f***’ as they were urged to ‘move back, get back’. The bus involved in today’s blaze was an Alexander Dennis Enviro400 hybrid that runs on diesel and electricity, with about 900 in use across 78 routes in London.

It comes as Mr Khan faced calls to launch a ‘full and urgent investigation’ into the Wimbledon double decker explosion as he ploughs ahead with his stated ambition to make the capital’s entire bus fleet ‘zero-emission’ by 2034.

But yesterday’s incident was just the latest example of safety faults with electric vehicles – which were the fastest growing cause of fires in the capital last year, according to the London Fire Brigade. In 2023 there were 150 e-bike fires in London, along with 28 e-scooter fires, which was 53 per cent more than in 2022.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12955781/Wimbledon-bus-fire-TfL-electric-buses-service.html