Bendy Buses withdrawn in Glasgow

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Bendy buses halted after three are injured

BUS operator Stagecoach has suspended use of its articulated 'bendy' buses following an incident that left three hurt.
Two passengers were treated at the scene for minor injuries and a third was taken to hospital.
A spokesman said: "The safety of our passengers and our people is our top priority and we are liaising closely with the vehicle manufacturer, Volvo, as part of our investigation into the incident, which is centring on the chassis legs and turntable that link the two parts of the bus.

Bendy buses have been plagued by numerous accidents and safety scares in recent years.

Last June, it was revealed that the articulated vehicles had been involved in nearly twice as many accidents as regular buses since they were introduced in London.


Aberdeen North MSP Brian Adam expressed similar concerns over the buses in a letter to the chief executive officer of FirstGroup, Moir Lockhead, which also operates the vehicles.

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I believe all have been returned to service the incident was down to the adverse weather in the area

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Nothing wrong with a properly specced bendy. I prefer the O305G's we have here over the new B12BLEA's

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There's a lot wrong with a properly specced bendy when it's operated in unsuitable environments, like London. However, after all my slandering of them, I've realised that they actually seem to cope quite well as university buses down here in Bath though. Maybe just because traffic in general is quieter so they're less likely to cause accidents, but the capacity is definitely appreciated in the peaks!

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That seems to speak of how they are operated, not the machines themselves. Are the companies having the guys drive a bendy for half their shift and a decker the other half?
Also a good driver should be able to take a bendy where ever they can take a rigid (standard length)

Also I know of the pee poor 7 litre engine that the citaros have, as much as I admire Mercedes Benz (I wouldn't own 2 myself if I didn't) that's just wrong. Then again the obsession with 7 litre volvo deckers seems equally disturbing

You think bendies in london are a problem, come down here and see where they throw 14.5m tri axle buses

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It's not a question of how narrow or bendy roads are, but a question of how heavy traffic is. In London traffic is heavy and space is a premium. You have to get into the right position at the right time otherwise you don't move as other traffic is impatiant.

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simes said:

Also a good driver should be able to take a bendy where ever they can take a rigid (standard length)

Spot on.

I think the majority of accidents are due to other road users being unaware of the fact that a bendy is so much longer than a standard bus, in essence when driving a bendy bus you only drive the front section as the rear will follow.

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In that case I would say that driving a bendy bus is not that much different to driving, say, an articulated lorry - yet road users seem to be slightly more aware about lorries.

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rm1 said:

In that case I would say that driving a bendy bus is not that much different to driving, say, an articulated lorry - yet road users seem to be slightly more aware about lorries.

The thing is lorries try and avoid narrow streets/ roads as much as they can, and are quite careful whenever they do use them.

However, this is the exact opposite with bendies, which have to use narrow streets throughout the entire route, and have to pull in/out so many times that if they wait until vehicles give way to them each time, they would lose about 30 minutes per trip! Therefore, they edge forward to try and make people give way, however car drivers don't like that and try to overtake. That is when accidents happen...

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Cars should give way to buses.

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I agree totally, however, the vast majority of cases I see, and experience as a driver, is that the bus is at fault. There is one important thing to consider and that is that buses should only pull out if it is safe for them to do so. I always let buses out if I'm behind them when I see them indicate.

However, buses almost invariably pull out, seemingly without even a cursory glance in their mirrors to check if vehicles are along side them and often don't indicate until they start making the manoeuvre. Most people, as far as I know, are not psychic, so more training is definitely needed. This is a nationwide issue, and certainly isn't going to help encourage people to be more polite with buses.

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But I do wonder whether cars, especially cars in London would actually pull back when they see a bus at a stop indicating it's going to pull out...

I know drivers in Nottingham (at least the part I live) would.

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nct said:

But I do wonder whether cars, especially cars in London would actually pull back when they see a bus at a stop indicating it's going to pull out...

I know drivers in Nottingham (at least the part I live) would.

Depends on the speed of the car travelling! Why would a driver doing 30mph slam on the brakes just because he sees a bus indicating to pull out just ahead of him. That is pure madness and would cause accidents due to the driver(s) behind unable to stop.

If I was doing 20mph or more and a bus starts showing his indicators to pull out, I'd keep going at the same speed. If I am far enough away from the bus and he has room, I'd flash my lights and slow down to let him through. It is just that simple.

Common sense must be used in each case!!!

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Obviously if you are directly behind the bus then proceed while the driver is supposed to wait. But if you are a few cars behind the bus, then you should slow down to let the bus pull out. It is this that I'm not sure an awful lot of London car drivers would do.

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dla365 said:

nct said:

But I do wonder whether cars, especially cars in London would actually pull back when they see a bus at a stop indicating it's going to pull out...

I know drivers in Nottingham (at least the part I live) would.

Depends on the speed of the car travelling! Why would a driver doing 30mph slam on the brakes just because he sees a bus indicating to pull out just ahead of him. That is pure madness and would cause accidents due to the driver(s) behind unable to stop.

If I was doing 20mph or more and a bus starts showing his indicators to pull out, I'd keep going at the same speed. If I am far enough away from the bus and he has room, I'd flash my lights and slow down to let him through. It is just that simple.

Common sense must be used in each case!!!

You shouldn't really be doing 30mph passing a bus at a bus stop, you should be slowing ready for,

1) The people crossing in front of the bus.
2) The bus pulling out.