A First Glasgow double-decker bus which careered down Renfield Street in the city on July 18 without its driver may have been suffering from brake failure.
The incident was initially blamed on the driver failing to apply the handbrake when he had stopped the bus to enter a newsagent. The driver was suspended by the company.
However, it has emerged that the bus had just gone back on the road after a reported brake failure, and investigators have ruled out driver error, according to The Scotsman.
The publication quoted an ‘investigation insider’ as saying: “All indications are that driver error is not to blame for what happened. The bus appears to have had an issue with its brakes on the morning of the crash.
“The investigation team now needs to establish if the failure played a role in what happened later in the day. They will also seek to establish if any repair was carried out adequately and if the bus was fit to go back on the road.”
Two pedestrians were injured in the incident, though neither injury was serious. The vehicle also damaged three other buses and a car.
A spokesman for First Glasgow said: “An investigation is under way, which includes reviewing the vehicle’s engineering and safety records.
“We’re working closely with Police Scotland. However, it will take some time to establish all the facts. It is therefore too early at this stage to speculate on the cause of the incident.”
