Trouble-plagued booze buses to spend Christmas off the roads
They’ve been off the road since March but as the Christmas party season looms, Victoria’s trouble-plagued booze buses will remain parked due to mechanical and electrical issues.
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Victoria’s trouble-plagued booze buses won’t be back on the roads for the crucial Christmas holiday period.
The Herald Sun can reveal the buses — hauled off the road in March — are still fraught with mechanical and electrical issues.
They will remain out of service until at least February.
But the force maintains drug and alcohol testing won’t be compromised.
Six new-age smaller booze and drug buses, among 10 new vehicles purchased in a $15 million road safety boost, have been sidelined.
Police have been forced to call in and pay for two independent engineering firms and had hoped the problems, which also include airconditioning and suspension issues, would now be fixed.
Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy told the Herald Sun: “Victoria Police has been notified that the six booze buses will continue to be off the road for the next few months while repair works continue to take place.”
“This outcome is disappointing for Victoria Police as we had anticipated to have the small booze buses back on the road by now,’’ Ms Murphy said.
“The community can be assured that we are doing everything we can to get the booze buses back on the road as soon as possible, and will continue to monitor drug and alcohol testing across Victoria.
“The safety of our officers is the most important factor and was the main reason the buses were grounded in the first place.
“The buses will not be reintroduced into the fleet until we are confident in the vehicle and its features.”
At least $320,000 has already been spent trying to fix the buses, which are about 2m shorter than normal booze buses and designed to catch drivers using residential roads and backstreets to avoid police.
Victoria Police asserts it’s still on track to complete 3 million preliminary breath tests and 150,000 roadside drug tests this financial year as mandated under government requirements.
The rest of the booze and drug bus fleet will run multiple shifts a day over the holiday period while highway patrol cars will also conduct roadside detection operations.
“Make no mistake we are all hands on deck over the Christmas and new year period,’’ Ms Murphy said.
“This is one of our busiest times of the year for road trauma, so all available resources will be out in force to get impaired drivers off the road.
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“It’s important to remember that every police car can breath test a driver. Whether it is our general duty vans, highway patrol, solo unit or specialist booze bus team – we will be out testing drivers to get impaired drivers off our road.”
The booze bus blow comes as Victoria grapples with a horror road toll which is tracking almost 30 per cent ahead on last year’s.
Drugs and alcohol were involved in about a quarter of deaths.
An update on the bus problems is due at the end of February next year.