Allegations of poor maintenance by Stagecoach

Last week Stagecoach appeared before the Scottish Traffic Commissioner over alleged poor maintenance it is claimed was linked to a number of fires on buses based at the company's Dundee depot. The public inquiry into the Perth-based company was also looking at allegations a number of vehicles from bases across the country lost wheels.
The two-day hearing in front of traffic commissioner Joan Aitken came after a year-long investigation by government group, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). VOSA uncovered claims of "wheel loss incidents" at the company's bus operations in Dundee, Fife and Glasgow, as well as the reported fires from the Dundee base. 

Four Stagecoach buses went on fire over a nine-month period on Tayside's roads, with the last one in July last year. The bus burst into flames just minutes after dropping off a group of children. Less than a week earlier, a suspected electrical fault caused the number 20 service from Kirriemuirto Dundee to catch fire. In September 2009, another two Stagecoach buses caught fire within a week of each other.
The commissioner has the power to fine companies if reports of maintenance shortcomings are upheld, or withdraw or limit their licence.

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