Cyprus Mail 4 December 2023 - by Iole Damaskinos
A number of public and school buses considered not up to safety standards were taken out of circulation on Monday, with various routes out of service, particularly in the Paphos district.
“Unfortunately, we could find no other solution but to remove buses that are not properly equipped in accordance with their contracts,” Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said, speaking on CyBC’s morning programme.
He said the number of buses taken out of circulation is in excess of 500.
The decision by the ministry comes after long meetings over the weekend following an incident on Friday in Aglantjia in Nicosia where a bus transporting students caught fire – the third of its kind.
The withdrawal includes buses subcontracted by bus companies to transport public school students from primary age to secondary, without affecting other activities of the same buses.
Despite the companies’ disagreement, the buses’ operation had to be suspended to ensure student safety and their record does not inspire confidence, Vafeades said.
“One incident [of fire] might be considered an accident but after the third one it is clear that the safety environment is weak, and you can expect a fourth,” the minister said.
He added that inspectors are to be sent out by the ministry to evaluate all premises which certify the suitability of the vehicles for circulation and record precisely where the weaknesses lie.
The problem of lack of updated safety equipment is one of a “difference of interpretation” of the terms of contact with the state, the minister explained, specifying that after the second bus fire in October, the ministry had demanded that all buses be upgraded with the system, despite a law allowing any vehicle in circulation prior to 2009 to be exempt.
European safety regulations did not come into effect until September 1, 2021 and were not in effect when the buses in question were registered, the ministry elucidated.
In Limassol, all Emel buses with more than 22 seats that carry students were pulled off the streets from Monday until such a time as they are outfitted with automatic engine-fire extinguishing systems.
Emel buses with over 22 passenger seats carrying out regular intercity and urban routes, are up-to-date and certified according to European standards which include fire extinguishing systems in the engine, as well as fire extinguishers and sensors inside the cabin, the company said.
The Paphos transport organisation (Osypa) issued an announcement late on Sunday stating that due to the ministry’s decision all buses with over 22 seats would be out of circulation on Monday and will not operate their routes, including school routes.
Due to the very limited availability of minibuses, most routes in the Paphos district will thus not be running.
The company will make updated announcements on routes re-starting, as the buses get upgraded over the next two weeks, Osypa said.
Cyprus Public Transport (CPT) operating routes in Nicosia and Larnaca informed the public that its entire fleet is equipped with the latest technology in terms of safety, and therefore this directive does not apply to its routes. But buses sub-contracted by the company, largely school buses, are not up to standard and have been pulled.
