In the early hours of 23/05/22, all Optare/Switch MetroDeckers were withdrawn from service, as a precautionary measure. There are around 90 operating on TFL services, with Metroline, RATP and Go-Ahead.
This led to buses being drafted into PB and AL to assist with the morning peak. It wasn’t until the afternoon that buses were drafted into to X for route C3. There has been no service on route 23.
It started at around 2:30pm on 22/05/22, when fire crews were called to tackle a blaze caused by a Metroline vehicle at Potters Bar garage. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, though it may have something to do with the battery pack. The fire had been extinguished by around 3:47pm.
The fire spread to 5 other buses, those being:
- VW1838 BV10 WVU
- TE1083 LK60 AFO
- VW1200 LK11 CYU
- TE1426 LK62 DYA
- OME2670 YJ69 DFK
The identity of the bus that caused the fire is not yet publicly known, though I shall post an update once it has.
No-one was injured in the incident.
A spokesperson for TFL said: “As a precaution, Switch Mobility has asked all operators that use its double-decker electric buses to temporarily withdraw them from service while it conducts an investigation and carries out safety checks. We have arrangements in place to minimise any disruption on the routes where these buses operate. We apologise to any customers who are experiencing disruption to their bus service.”
When the MetroDeckers return is unknown, although it hopefully won’t be too long.
The London Bus Files 