A bus driver working for Intercity buses has sustained injuries to his legs after a car drove into him earlier this week. The accident, however, has brought to light an ongoing plague of technical issues with the company’s buses that continue to endanger passengers, drivers and the broader public.
Despite the disarray caused two weeks ago when scores of buses were taken out of circulation to ensure they were safe for use, the Cyprus Mail has learned that since then, at least one bus known to have technical issues was put back on the road by Intercity without the problem being resolved.
Despite the disarray caused two weeks ago when scores of buses were taken out of circulation to ensure they were safe for use, the Cyprus Mail has learned that since then, at least one bus known to have technical issues was put back on the road by Intercity without the problem being resolved.
In the days immediately after the entire fleet of buses were inspected and assessed for safety, the newspaper was made aware of four problematic incidents where buses had technical problems – in the span of one week.
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said the ministry had stepped in since it received complaints over two Intercity buses and ordered the company to take the specific vehicles off the road until the problems are fixed.
“The company was also instructed to submit a detailed report regarding the event.”
Despite the decisive action from the ministry, Vafeades’ response highlights that it was the ministry which intervened to remove the buses rather than Intercity, despite having knowledge over the matter from its own drivers.
Passengers the Cyprus Mail spoke to detail instances of drivers calling the company to report of problems with the vehicles they were driving, only to be told by the company to “just keep driving” until in one case, the bus eventually broke down on the road, leaving people – including the elderly – stranded in the streets.
Although the company said they would send another bus to do the route, it was only the next one that arrived – and didn’t have space for everyone, causing even more delays.
In another case, an eyewitness shared that on Monday, a bus driver doing an evening route from Nicosia to Limassol could barely see in front of her because of how densely fogged up the windshield was.
It appeared that the heating close to the windshield was out of order and the driver – who was on the highway – had to repeatedly pull over to manually wipe down the glass.
Although the driver was heard calling the company and reporting the incident, she still did the journey till the end.
Even worse, however, was the fact that the same bus was put back on the road for the same route on the very next day. It had the exact same problem.
“The driver eventually turned the a/c on full blast and we froze, but that was the only thing the driver could do so she could see well enough to drive,” one passenger shared.
Discussing the incident with the Cyprus Mail, Vafeades said the transport ministry ordered a report to find out what happened and instructed the bus be taken off use immediately. He also said he was monitoring the case of a driver who was injured while assessing an Intercity vehicle that had technical issues. That bus too, has been removed from operation.
The injured bus driver in question is a man in his 60’s currently being treated in Larnaca general hospital after he sustained injuries to his legs and face.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday, when the driver pulled over close to the Skarinou exit after the bus appeared to make “strange noises.” No passengers were in the vehicle at the time.
A mechanic was called and while the two men were assessing the back of the bus, a driver crashed into the mechanic’s car, shooting it off forward and injuring both the mechanic and bus driver.
According to Intercity’s general director Fotios Kaoullas, the impact caused the mechanic to fall under the bus, while the driver suffered extensive injuries and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.
Taken to task as to why buses appeared to be faulty immediately after passing their inspections, Kaoullas underlines that problems with the fleet should always be expected within “acceptable levels.”
“Buses will always break down. They work 19 hours a day.”
He stressed that the company has invested €15 million in renewing and upgrading its fleet, including purchasing new buses at a cost of around €300,000 each. He explained that technical problems are “inevitable,” even if the vehicles undergo regular servicing.
Kaoullas also argued buses breakdown everywhere in the world. “It happens in Europe, in the US, in Asia – even worse in Asia.”
Perhaps more concerning is the fact that the complaints, which have also been made to the transport ministry, come after over dozens of buses were taken off the streets to ensure they were safe for use. The instigator for the development was that three buses had burst into flames in a matter of weeks despite passing all quality and control checks.
One included an Intercity bus in Limassol, which randomly went up in flames, leaving trapped passengers inside resorting to jumping out of smashed windows
Vafeades intervened after the third incident, and ordered all buses which lacked an automatic fire-extinguisher were not to be used and companies needed to ensure their fleets were safe. On Monday December 4, there were far fewer buses on the road but the public was told it would have to suffer through the inconvenience so as to ensure safety.
The issue lasted for around a week and by December 10, Intercity issued an announcement gleefully saying that the buses would be returning to normal, and all inspections were greenlighted.
Complaints detailed in this article over Intercity took place after the certified mechanics submitted written confirmation “that all vehicles are being maintained as per the manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines” Vafeades underlined.
Nonetheless, the transport ministry is currently drafting a schedule to visually inspect “all buses and then begin a regular review of the vehicles’ condition.
“The process of review is to be discussed in a meeting next week, upon the return of the road transport department’s deputy director to Cyprus.”