Lincolnshire Road Car Co Ltd, trading as Stagecoach East Midlands, was given a strong formal warning by Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) Dr Paul Stookes after its vehicles were involved in two bridge strikes within four months.
The company had been called before the DTC at a Cambridge Public Inquiry following bridge strikes on 14 June 2024 at Marsh Lane, Misterton, Doncaster, and on 19 September 2024 at Wharton Road, Blyton, Gainsborough.
The DTC said that the company had been given warnings by TC Tim Blackmore in March 2021 and TC Richard Turfitt in March 2022 in relation to previous bridge strikes. In 2021 TC Blackmore gave the company a ‘soft warning’ and in 2022 TC Turfitt stated that on that occasion there would be no further action.
The 14 June bridge strike related to the same bridge as the 2022 incident. There was one passenger on the bus at the time. The driver, John Sewell, was interviewed after the event and was dismissed on 24 June 2024. Graham Renshaw, who signed off Mr Sewell’s training record, resigned. Mr Sewell was probably trying to impress his new employer and was genuinely trying to help when the company was seeking to cover all services.
He probably was over-confident. He did not act responsibly in continuing to drive under a low bridge when a warning alarm had been activated. After the bridge strike, he continued with the service, only reporting the incident when he returned to the depot. Mr Sewell also failed to comply with the policy that, on causing a bridge strike, a driver is required to call Network Rail and the company and take instructions as to the next steps. There were no adverse external social or economic consequences arising from the incident — that is to say, trains were not delayed, the bridge itself was not damaged, and neither the police nor DVSA were involved in the incident or any follow-up.
DTC Stookes was concerned that, as a new driver, Mr Sewell had appeared to take the view that there were occasions when it was acceptable to ignore the low-bridge alarm. Mr Sewell’s approach to his vocational driving responsibilities might well have been encouraged by the very casual and cavalier attitude and approach of his line manager, Mr Renshaw.
While the company sought to distance itself from Mr Sewell, through the various actions of Mr Renshaw it bore some responsibility for Mr Sewell’s decision-making: Mr Sewell was signed off as ready for routes when this was premature and was likely to encourage a false sense of confidence in Mr
Sewell as a PCV driver. While the direct responsibility of the bridge strike lay with Mr Sewell, this was aggravated by errors of judgment in his management and supervision. Mr Sewell’s over-confidence in offering himself up for routes he was not trained for, coupled with a lack of sufficient close supervision, formed part of the facts surrounding the incident.
The 19 September bridge strike was on a school service with 20 passengers. The driver, Ivo Matos, was a newly qualified driver and was accompanied by his mentor, Stuart Naylor. In light of the incident Mr Matos was suspended pending an internal investigation, and Mr Naylor was summarily dismissed.
That bridge strike was factually quite different, but had a common component of inappropriate supervision. This bridge strike happened at a very low speed of around 3mph. No injuries were sustained to the 20 passengers on board; there was minimal damage to the bus, limited to upstairs glass and a tree bar; Network Rail, which attended the scene, confirmed that there was no damage to the bridge; and there was no police involvement although they were notified. Around a week following the incident, Mr Matos’ suspension was lifted, and he was given a final written warning for 12 months. He had not been driving since, although he had been supporting the company and helping to provide training to other drivers on matters such as bridge strikes.
The DTC found Mr Matos to be a very responsible and cautious driver who was placed in an unfair position by someone given responsibility for guiding him, namely Mr Naylor. He therefore should bear no responsibility for the bridge strike of 19 September.
On the positive side, the recent bridge strikes did not result in any instances of personal injury and there was no significant damage to the buses or any interruption of rail services, and there was prompt action by the company on learning of the incidents. The company had invested in technology to warn of bridges, and its driver training and information, pre and post bridge strikes, was comprehensive.
The negative factors included the fact that there were continuing bridge strikes. Regarding the two recent bridge strikes there had been an act by a driver, Mr Sewell, that led to undue risk to road safety, and as a result of the actions or inactions of Mr Renshaw and Mr Naylor, there had been ineffective management control together with insufficient driver training and/or ineffective monitoring.
Regarding the company, the DTC considered that this case might be regarded as in the moderate to low category. In issuing a strong formal warning to the operator, he warned that if further incidents occurred, more formal regulatory action could not be ruled out. It needed to address the concerns that some employees that had been given management responsibilities, including the management of drivers, had been taking unacceptable decisions.
In terms of driver conduct, he considered that John Sewell bore much, but not all, of the responsibility for the bridge strike. Considering Mr Sewell’s period of non-vocational driving over the last three months, he suspended his licence for a further month. He felt that Ivo Matos acted entirely properly in all respects, and had decided that no action should be taken in relation to his vocational licence.