THE operator behind the majority of Cornwall’s public service buses has issued a reassurance of its fleets safety after a bus caught fire near Camelford.

Go Cornwall Bus, which is owned by the Go-Ahead transport group has said that safety is its number one priority.

It has reassured bus users that it takes any incident involving fire extremely seriously.

Their comments come after Barry West, a bus safety campaigner said that he fears a catastrophic bus fire is waiting to happen, stating: “The risk is that there will be a major bus fire with serious potential consequences.

“We are sleepwalking into another such disaster, and it is foreseeable and avoidable. The trend of bus fires needs and must be thoroughly investigated and action taken to tackle the causes of it and the rapid spread that ensues through the passenger section of the bus or coach.

“Fire regulations and the standards for constructions and interior fittings needs to be reviewed and reformed so that all materials used are significantly safer with designs that stop the spread of fire and toxic smoke.

“Investigations by an independent body such as the DVSA should be undertaken as there are serious concerns around the robustness, transparency and integrity of internal investigations that are often inadequate and where vital evidence is damaged, disturbed or missed.”

Mr West quoted a report from 2023 by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) about the trend of buses catching alight across the United Kingdom.

It stated that their investigation found no evidence that engine bay temperatures led to premature degradation or engine fires when the vehicles were maintained correctly.

However, they also found evidence that showed that when repairs were carried out to address an initial fault, the work was focused on the fault as opposed to the effect that it might have on other systems in the vehicles.

They also added that they had found evidence of drivers ‘continuing to drive the vehicle when warning systems advise it should be stopped’, and of drivers being given incorrect advice by depots to continue driving.

The report also found deficiencies in the reporting of incidents that caused a bus to catch fire, stating that a number of reports were submitted a long time after the incident, sometimes with little or poor information provided and often with no investigation into the root cause of the fire, evidence of events leading up to it and without witness statements.

However, Go Cornwall Bus have stated the measures in place across the Duchy’s buses.

Mark Collins, commercial director at Go Cornwall Bus, said: "We can confirm that one of our buses was involved in a vehicle fire. Thankfully, there were no injuries.

“The safety of our customers, the communities we serve and our colleagues is our highest priority. All of our drivers are trained in emergency evacuation procedures, and all buses entering our fleet are specified with automatic fire suppression systems that activate if the engine bay reaches a predetermined temperature.

“We would like to thank the emergency services for their swift response." -