Bus drivers want second opinion

The Stagecoach bus that caught fire on Sunday is a later model than two buses that burned last year. Picture / Rex Auty

Auckland bus drivers want Stagecoach to widen an investigation into the latest of three fires in the company's fleet, to ensure no common fault is endangering them and passengers.

The company says it wants a chance to conduct its own full investigation before seeking a second opinion on why a bus burst into flames on Sunday night.

But the Auckland Tramways Union is calling for early involvement by outside agencies such as the Fire Service to assure drivers and passengers that their safety is of paramount importance

"Maybe the union should be thinking about pulling all buses of that series off the road," union president Gary Froggatt said last night.

Stagecoach engineering director Allan Cannell said the latest blaze was on a different series of German-made MAN bus to one that caught fire in New North Rd in July.

The North Shore fire struck while a mechanic was taking the bus back to its depot, minus its passengers, after the regular driver complained of a diesel leak and called for a replacement vehicle.

Mr Cannell said that the MAN 2400 series bus was registered in 2004. The vehicle struck by fire in New North Rd after a suspected electrical fault in the rear was a 700 series from 1998.

A second MAN 700 caught fire several days later, from a fuse at the front.

Mr Cannell said the wiring on the whole bus fleet had been checked and was repaired in the few cases where insulation was found to have worn thin. He disclosed that a fire was averted about two weeks ago on another bus, a Nissan vehicle, after a piece of noise insulation fell on an exhaust.

The driver used an extinguisher to stop smoke developing into flames.

Mr Cannell was unclear about whether the diesel leak may have caused the latest fire, which he said broke out in the engine bay of the bus, destroying its back end.

He said the company wanted a chance to establish the cause for itself, although he acknowledged it may seek a second opinion from the Fire Service, which had verified its verdict on the New North Rd fire.