Buses to undergo follow-up safety checks in Wellington after 11 buses were removed from service
August 28, 2013
Wellington buses are being inspected by police after several were removed from service earlier this year due to serious safety faults.
Police and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) started the follow-up checks this week to ensure a range of serious faults discovered during previous inspections have been addressed.
Inspections in May resulted in 11 buses being removed from service due to a number of significant safety issues including oil leaks, fumes and faults with emergency exits.
NZTA Regional Manager Access and Use Kate Styles says the checks are to ensure the safety of bus users.
“Bus companies have the ultimate responsibility to ensure their vehicles remain in a roadworthy and safe condition at all times, and Police and the Transport Agency will be following up over the next 48 hours to ensure this is the case.”
Both organisations have been working with bus companies to improve their compliance.
“Police and its road safety partner agencies have been working closely with bus operators, including New Zealand Bus which runs most of the services in the Wellington region, to ensure they understand what is required of them if they want to continue to operate,” says Styles.
“They in turn have given assurances that the serious problems identified earlier in year have been rectified and Police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU) and Transport Agency inspectors will be checking to make sure this has happened.”
CVIU Senior Sergeant Willie Roy hopes there will be as little disruption as possible to bus services.
“To ensure as little disruption to the public as possible, the operation is being run outside of peak hours, targeting buses not carrying passengers,” he says.
“However, bus operators should be on notice that if serious safety faults are detected, then action will be taken, as ensuring public safety is our top priority.”