Good record prevents further sanction

Scotland’s traffic commissioner has issued West Coast Motors with a warning after a wheel fell off one of its Dunoon-based service buses last September.

The wheel was lost as the  single decker bus left a Toward bus stop on the morning of September 16 last year. The loose wheel rolled along the road for a few yards as bemused bystanders looked on, before coming to rest a short distance in front of the vehicle. The bus was travelling slowly at the time and no injuries were caused.

At the end of a public inquiry on February 11, Miss Joan Aitken, Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, gave an oral decision on the case.
She opened by saying: “Wheels should not come off buses and the public is entitled to be concerned when that does happen.
“Bus operators are under a legal duty to maintain their vehicles and to ensure their continuing roadworthiness and there are recognised procedures know to the engineering side of the industry which if followed by managers and mechanics should ensure that as far as humanly and mechanically possible travel by bus is safe and predictable.

“Today I looked at how this operator fulfils the licence undertakings to ensure that vehicles operated under the licence are roadworthy and that the related undertakings concerning defect reporting, and record keeping  are also met.”

Miss Aitken commended West Coast Motors, a trading name of Craigs of Campbeltown Ltd, for their openness and previously unblemished safety record.

She continued: “The operator’s own investigation was corroborated by the Vehicle Examiner’s evidence to me which was that this is a company which is very knowledgeable and mindful of the dangers which can follow if wheel changing procedures are not followed up with retorquing and where there has to be communication including a label to go in the vehicle between workshop and fleet users that there has been a wheel change and re-torqueing is required. The operator has in house training and as recently as August had trained the relevant Dunoon workshop staff in the necessary procedures.
“I am reassured by the attitude of the operator and by the arrangements the operator has in place to fulfil the licence undertakings. There are lessons learned and to be remembered by the maintenance team in Dunoon, that they cannot be complacent about he importance of their role in keeping passengers safe and that they should heed the training and the procedures for they are there to guard against wheel loss such as this.
Concluding, Miss Aitken remarked: “I am content that I can conclude this public inquiry with a warning – and it’s a warning to all who derive their livelihoods from this operator’s business – to heed the licence undertakings and that no further action is needed and that I can be confident that this operator takes its responsibilities to the community it serves and the travelling public very seriously, responsibly and credibly.”

Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, commented: “I would describe the Traffic Commissioner’s decision as fair and appropriate, considering the nature of the incident.
“We remain completely focused on ensuring the highest standard of maintenance is carried out on all our fleet to ensure this never happens again.”