Page 14 - Demo

bca issues
BUS CRASHES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Shuttle buses on the Whakapapa side of Ruapehu two weeks after the crash. RAL closed down shuttles on the Turoa side.
e BCA has welcomed the Government’s investigation into bus safety following a number of serious bus crashes in July and August. Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the three recent bus crashes were a cause for concern and he has asked the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to look at the incidents. All three buses involved in the crashes were Mitsubishi Fuso models, but of varying types and sizes. e BCA and the MoT has agreed to work together to understand and iden- tify any common causes or issues relating to these crashes, once
they are known.
e investigation will identify any common elements within
the three crashes. It will also look at whether or not Certi cate of Fitness (CoF) testing has been implemented properly. Other issues to be looked at are the age of the vehicles involved and whether seatbelts need to be compulsory in buses.
Mr Twyford said the fact all three buses were Mitsubishi Fuso’s was no reason for people to jump to any conclusions. He said the MoT would look at the incidents from a policy perspective, and NZTA would take a more operational approach.
“ ey will come back with a report and we will see if there are any further actions required. It is really important to get the facts and then we can talk about what the appropriate response is.”
e BCA stance is that at this point we don’t yet know what’s caused these events. It is important we deal with the facts rather than speculate about possible causes. e NZTA and Police regu- larly intercept operators for roadside inspections and compliance with work-time rules. While both vehicles appear to be older, what’s more important is their overall safety rather than age or mileage. Regular operator maintenance, CoF inspections and these random roadside tests act to ensure this safety.
A similar view is held by members we spoke to about the inci- dents. Petrecivich Buses General Manager, Garth Petrecivich, who runs some of his Dune Rider four-wheel-drive buses for shuttle work at Mount Ruapehu, says he can’t comment on the Ruapehu crash because he does not know what caused it, but the bottom line is that maintenance work is important no matter what road you are on.
Pavlovich Coachlines Director Bernard Pavlovich has experience
operating buses on New Zealand mountains both in the north and south islands. “ e reality is, ski eld business is tough, both operationally and nancially. I used to be in it and walking away from that environment is not something I regret. It’s a short, sharp season, and bus travel rates low in terms of where skiers see value.”
Coincidentally, Bernard was skiing at Turoa the week before the fatal accident. “I travelled in a Turoa-based Fuso only a week before the incident. e bus was terrible. e steps were high, the door was narrow, I was physically unable to get into a window seat while wearing ski boots and holding my skis and poles. at’s a terrible customer experience. But despite the crap experience, was the bus unsafe? Well, that can only be assessed by the quality of the mechanical upkeep. If it is inspected and repaired to a rigid programme of inspections, and if the maintenance sta are both quali ed and fully engaged in safety, then a 20-year-old Fuso can be as safe as a 5 to 10-year old bus.
“Old does not always equate to unsafe. Old can be unsafe, but so can new. It is just that old buses must be maintained to a very high standard.
“Add to that the environmental challenges on a ski eld. Any operator of buses at a ski eld needs to approach maintenance with a speci c plan and process that matches the tough operating conditions. e operator must have a more rigorous maintenance plan than one might see in a city environment. e test of RAL (Ruapehu Alpine Li s) will be if they had that in place.”
BCA Councillor and Nimon and Sons Director Bill Nimon says that in regard to Mitsubishi Fusos being involved in the four crashes this year (including one that occurred near Te Anau in May) they are generally good buses for rural routes, but maintenance is key.
“ ere are many Mitsubishi Fusos on the road of all sizes. We have 40. ey are great buses, but they need to be used in the right places, as some of them are light vehicles. ey are not designed for extreme workloads. e chances are that if the crashes had involved another brand, then they too would be under the gun.
“Operators need to remember the importance of constant main- tenance. It is a case of maintaining vehicles and keeping them in good condition, not repairing them then maintaining the repair. You need the right vehicle for the right job.”
14 CIRCULAR SEPTEMBER 2018
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