Green Valley: Investigation found bus driver lacked training following bus fire

A bus driver was not issued fire extinguisher training or a “suitable level of recent practical training” before a bus burst into flames following an electrical fault in Sydney’s southwest.

The bus was destroyed following the blaze in 2022. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

A bus driver was not issued fire extinguisher training or a “suitable level of recent practical training” before their vehicle burst into flames following an electrical fault in Sydney’s southwest.

An investigation was launched by the Office of Transport Safety (OTSI) after a bus driver and three passengers were evacuated at The Valley Plaza shopping centre, Green Valley in August 2022 after the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

The driver, who joined Transit Systems NSW (TSNSW) in 2020, noticed smoke “thick, dark smoke” above the front door and a “sparkling” near the radio above the driver’s seat which turned into flames.

The passengers evacuated the bus five minutes before the fire spread and destroyed the vehicle after an electrical fault in the accessory panel sparked the blaze. No one was injured.

The report, tabled to NSW parliament in March, found while the driver received training when they joined TSNSW, he was not trained on how to use the emergency battery isolation switch or a fire extinguisher.

An investigation was launched following the fire in August 2022. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

Investigators for the report said it was “likely the driver was not effectively trained or prepared” which “likely resulted in the delayed evacuation of passengers.”

“The bus operator did not provide the driver with a suitable level of recent practical training and competency assessment to assure they could effectively manage the emergency

situation,” the report found.

The bus was engulfed in flames within a few minutes. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

There were also no training records to show the driver received a refresher course on emergency procedures and response in the two years between his induction and the incident.

The report also found the accessory panel electrical circuit inside the bus – operated by TSNSW and owned by Transport for NSW- was “not adequately protected” from faults, including a short circuit.

“Assessment management processes did not effectively ensure there were adequate circuit protections and systems isolation to prevent escalation to fire of an electrical fault in the involved bus,” investigators said.

During the investigation, OTSI also found all three isolating switches inside the bus did not isolate power from the batteries to the bus body circuit.

“Early isolation of battery power to the accessory panel, where the fire likely initiated, would have removed ongoing provision of a source of energy for the escalation and propagation of the fire,” investigators said.

The bus was destroyed following the blaze in 2022. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

OTSI recommended Transit Systems to review their emergency procedures and documentation and develop a “practical, competency-based driver refresher training program for emergency procedures”.

TNSW was urged to develop a rectification program to ensure electrical circuits on the current buses are “adequately protected” and apply a “more comprehensive” safety risk management plan.

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said safety if their “number one priority” and has a management process with their bus contract operators that requires them to “develop asset safety plans and comply with them”.

“Transport for NSW is aware of the recommendations of the Bus Safety Investigation Report issued by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations and is currently developing a response and process to address them,” the spokeswoman said.

A Transit Systems NSW spokeswoman said all bus drivers are provided with fire extinguisher training as part of their induction and ongoing training.

The spokeswoman said TSNSW is reviewing OTSI’s report and will work with “Transport NSW, our specialist team members and consultants to identify and implement any areas for further improvement.”