Calgary Transit has pulled 19 shuttle buses out of service as an investigation continues into what caused one of its buses to catch fire earlier this month.
On the morning of Dec. 12, fire crews responded to a Calgary Transit shuttle bus engulfed in flames on Nose Hill Drive northwest between Stoney Trail and 87 Street N.W.
The driver, who was the only person on board the bus at the time, told crews they attempted to put out the fire with the on-board fire extinguisher. The driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after an assessment by paramedics.
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The road was temporarily closed as crews extinguished the fire, and a sanding truck was brought in due to significant ice build up from the water used to put out the fire.
According to Calgary Transit, the investigation into the fire is ongoing and a cause has yet to be determined.
“As a precautionary measure, we’ve temporarily removed the remaining 19 shuttles of the same model series from service,” Calgary Transit said in a statement to Global News. “This is a standard safety step to ensure there are no risks to staff and the public while we complete the investigation. We will return the shuttles to service once we confirm them to be safe.”
In the meantime, replacement shuttle buses have been deployed and transit officials said and schedules have been adjusted “to minimize service impacts to riders.”
Over the past year, Calgary Transit has replaced 70 shuttle buses with an average mileage of more than 520,000 kilometres, with new gasoline powered shuttles.
Calgary Transit says it is planning to replace 160 shuttle buses by the middle of next year to provide a “more comfortable and cost-effective ride for customers and taxpayers.”
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