Australia, Bus Industry News, Bus Safety

OTSI recommends operators check fuel lines in coach fire investigation

OTSI’s investigation into the 2023 coach fire has led to numerous recommendations for operators and Transport for NSW

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) has recommended that bus and coach operators inspect their fuel lines in their vehicle bodies following a review into a coach fire in 2023.

On February 10, 2023, a Transdev NSW coach caught fire at Revesby during a primary school charter service.

Smoke entered the saloon area at the rear before the coach’s engine stalled, with the driver safely evacuating the 39 primary school students and two teachers before the fire destroyed the coach.

The OTSI investigation found that a fractured fuel line in the coach’s engine bay the most likely cause of the fire, leading to the release of diesel fuel at high pressure onto surrounding hot components.

This led to the fire escalating from the engine bay into the saloon area and then engulfing the coach.

  • Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australasia’s bus and coach industry
  • Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly ABC magazine

Upon investigation, the coach wasn’t fitted with Engine Bay Fire Suppression Systems (EBFSS), although it wasn’t required to under the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Bus Operator Accreditation Scheme (BOAS).

On top of this, the coach was designed and built without fire containment materials or firewalls between the engine bay and saloon.

The vehicles used by Transdev NSW feature a body from now liquidated manufacturer Mills-Tui on a Mercedes-Benz chassis.

In response, Transdev NSW acted proactively to fit the remaining coaches within its fleet with EBFSS while also inspecting its entire fleet for fuel, oil and coolant lines/hoses serviceability. It also checked its engines and transmissions for any evidence of oil, fuel or coolant leaks.

OTSI has since recommended that operators of the same coach configuration inspect the involved fuel line and review the effectiveness of their current risk controls for an engine bay fire.

OTSI has also called on operators using similar vehicles to consider introducing passenger number limits based on the vehicle construction and limitations of the existing emergency exits.

For TfNSW, OTSI has called on them to consider changes to current legislative frameworks that prescribe vehicle standards for public passenger services to ensure the effective application of risk control measures.

Read more:

  1. Australian Truck Radio Listen Live
Send this to a friend