By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Accept
routeonerouteonerouteone
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Search
© 2024 routeone News. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Double-decker accident leads to licence cut for Stagecoach Devon
Share
Font ResizerAa
routeonerouteone
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd
- Advertisement -
-
routeone > Legal > Double-decker accident leads to licence cut for Stagecoach Devon
LegalNewsOperators

Double-decker accident leads to licence cut for Stagecoach Devon

Mike Jewell
Mike Jewell
Published: September 19, 2022
Share
Accident involving Stagecoach Devon bus leads to licence cut
Credit: Geof Shepard
SHARE

An accident involving a double-decker bus driven by a 19-year-old driver, injuring 37 passengers, 10 seriously, has led to the licence held by Stagecoach Devon, trading as Stagecoach South West, being cut from 475 to 427 vehicles by Traffic Commissioner (TC) Kevin Rooney.

The TC also imposed a condition on the licence that: “No driver under the age of 21 will be used on a service of over 50km regardless of how that service is registered.”

The TC said that the double-deck bus left the road and came to a stop in a field on its side. The driver of the vehicle was a Kameron Allan. He was not a regular driver, and he was only 19 years old at the time.

The route in question was in excess of 50km and drivers under 21 were disqualified from driving routes in-service of that length. However, the route had been registered as a split service to avoid the need to comply with the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules following an indication from the Department of Transport in 2008 that such an approach was acceptable in that context.

Mr Allan was charged with 10 offences of causing serious injury through dangerous driving but those charges were dropped at court and Mr Allan was convicted in July 2021 of one single offence of careless driving. That conviction was not notified in the required 28 days. The explanation that the Transport Manager (TM) was unaware of that requirement was unacceptable, TC Rooney found.

For Mr Allan, Hannah Webb said that he had been new in his driving career having undertaken only about 25 hours of driving at that point. There had been shortcomings in the training and mentorship. Standard practice had not been followed. In relation to the incident itself, the road was narrow and had had a number of incidents upon it. There was no crash barrier. Mr Allan’s coat-hook was behind him and next to the window. It was reasonable for Mr Allan to have opened that window. It was accepted that the coat should have been further secured.

Mr Allan lost control of the bus when he tried to retrieve the coat when it blew out of the window. He had not received vehicle-specific training nor local support. He had not had familiarisation training for the route. The crash was a culmination of deeply unfortunate circumstances. Mr Allan was now employed by Lothian Buses. He would go through its normal driver training program afresh and be provided with mentorship.

Mr Allan said that he had known that he could only drive routes up to 50 km but also knew that the Gold route had been registered as a split service.

The TC said that the core facts relating to the collision on 5 October 2019 were uncontroversial. There was a driver shortage at the Torquay depot caused by industrial action. It was established practice for the company to draw upon a pool of “non-regular” drivers to cover shortages. These tended to be managers or inspectors. Such a practice was entirely normal.

Mr Allan was a bus enthusiast who was keen to gain his PCV entitlement at the earliest opportunity. He was also keen to carry out driving activities to gain experience for his future career in the industry. He had passed his PCV test in July 2019 and had driven around 25 hours in a bus thereafter including a double-decker. Because of his unusual status in the business, as Commercial Assistant, he returned to his day-job upon acquiring the PCV entitlement. He was not provided with the usual extensive support and mentoring which applied to full-time drivers. A conversation took place between Mr Allan and Richard Scant, Torquay Depot Manager, the result of which was that Mr Allan was allocated the Stagecoach Gold service on 5 October 2019.

The Stagecoach Gold service from Torquay to Plymouth was advertised as a single service although registered as two connecting services, Torquay to Totnes and Totnes to Plymouth. The vehicle was the same. The driver was the same. The service retained the same name. There was a two-minute layover in Totnes. Any suggestion that it was two separate routes was “pure fiction,” the TC said. Stagecoach had revealed the way that it was advertised in 2019.

The matter was muddied somewhat by a letter from the Department for Transport to the Confederation of Passenger Transport in 2008. The background to that letter was that the drivers´ hours rules changed in 2006. Prior to that, regular services over 50km could enjoy an exemption from the fitting of tachographs by maintaining timetables and duty rosters. From 2006, the requirement for such longer services became for a tachograph to be fitted.

That caused significant operational challenges for bus operators, who lobbied the Department for Transport for some flexibility. The result was the letter. While that letter appeared to fly in the face of the established case law, it was a statement of the then government’s position. In that respect, it was reasonable that an operator had regard to it. It was explicit in that it referred to the drivers’ hours rules. At no point was the age of a driver taken into account.

He concluded by reference to the legal authorities that the Stagecoach Torquay to Plymouth Gold service was a single service. It should therefore be operated with a driver over the age of 21. Stagecoach was a significant transport operation and had within its resources the ability to check the law rather than rely on an official’s letter relating to a different and very specific potential regulatory burden.

Stagecoach Devon had sophisticated systems in place for training new drivers. The processes with respect to new full-time drivers appeared to be impressive. There was initial training followed by vehicle and route coaching, all supported by mentoring. It was accepted by both former TMs that those processes did not apply to Mr Allan given his unusual circumstances. Both former TMs, one of whom had been the Managing Director at the time, accepted that mistakes had been made and that Mr Allan should not have been driving that bus that day. It appeared that there was pressure to deal with a driver shortage, so corners were cut. Commercial considerations overtook safety.

It was deeply unfortunate that Stagecoach failed to provide relevant witnesses. The two statutory Directors who were in post in 2019 failed to attend. The statutory Director who did attend could not assist. The manager responsible for the decision-making was not put forward. He had not seen the company’s internal investigations and, despite requested, risk-assessments had not been produced. Stagecoach had been less helpful than it could have been.

The situation which allowed Mr Allan to be driving was negligent and was likely to have increased significantly the road safety risk. The TC balanced that with the strong systems in relation to maintenance of vehicles and the mainstream drivers.

Share This Article
Facebook LinkedIn Threads Email Copy Link
Previous Article Coach consumer research: ‘Embrace negativity, act fast’
Next Article Coaching difficult to predict for 12 months ‘Who in coaching can predict the next 12 months?’
- Advertisement -

Latest News

Temsa HD12 and HD13 delivered to Cresta Coaches under Asset Alliance rental deal
Temsa pair join Cresta Coaches on Asset Alliance rental agreement
Deliveries
Go-Ahead London – Managing Director
Careers Jobs
andy burnham tfgm £15.6 billion (1) The funding announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today (4 June) has been allocated to several combined mayoral authorities to use on rail, tram, road and bus infrastructure. Transport for Greater Manchester revealed today that part of the £2.5 billion it will receive will go towards making the Bee Network fully battery-electric by 2030. An as-yet undecided portion of that will support a planned investment in 1,000 new zero-emission buses over that period, the mayoral authority said. That is part of plans to build the UK's "first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system", with trams and trains also set to benefit. Liverpool City Region's already announced BRT system is among the projects to which its £1.6 billion will be allocated. Under those plans - due for realisation by 2028 - a high-speed network will be served by articulated buses which are modelled on the 'Glider' in Belfast. It is due to link Liverpool city centre with John Lennon Airport, and Liverpool FC and Everton FC's respective stadia along three routes. Although the model of bus has not been confirmed, a Van Hool Exqui.City on loan from Belfast was last year used as a demonstrator. That 18m vehicle can accommodate around 30% more passengers than a typical bus and has three sets of double doors. The funding will also go towards buses elsewhere in the city as the region heads towards franchising services by 2027. Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram with a 'Glider' which was on loan from Belfast last year - an example of the sort of bus which could serve the new BRT Bus services in the East Midlands region will be boosted by the funding, thanks to the £2 billion handed to it today by the government. Some of that allocation will be used for a rapid transit network on the Trent Arc between Nottingham and Derby. Between the two cities, the Freeport, Infinity Park Investment Zone and Ratcliffe-on-Soar will also benefit from the improved bus services. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's newly announced commitment towards bus franchising has been boosted by £350 million in funding as part of that region's allocation. The funding for West Yorkshire will help build new bus stations in Bradford and Wakefield. Likewise, the Tees Valley Mayoral Authority will put its sum towards a new £15 million bus station in Middlesbrough. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: "Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change. "For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off."
TfGM’s all-electric bus plan boosted by new £15.6 billion package
News
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Bus
- Advertisement -
-

routeone magazine is the indispensable resource for professional UK coach, bus and minibus operators. The home of vehicle sales and the latest bus and coach job vacancies, routeone connects professional PCV operators with complete and unrivalled news coverage.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Policy
  • Sustainability
  • Advertise
  • Latest Issue
  • Share Your News
routeonerouteone
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd