After Second Fire, RATP Removes 149 Electric Buses from Its Fleet
This page is translated from the original post "Après un 2e incendie, la RATP retire 149 bus électriques de sa flotte" in French.
- 29/04/2022 18:50
After a second fire within less than a month, the RATP has made a decision: it is temporarily withdrawing 149 Bolloré electric buses from its fleet.
The bus caught fire on April 29, near the François Mitterrand Library station (13th arrondissement). Passengers and the driver were able to evacuate quickly. No casualties or injuries were reported. An investigation is underway to determine the causes of the incident.
The previous fire occurred on April 4, this time onboard a bus traveling on Boulevard Saint-Germain, in the 5th arrondissement of the capital. Again, there were no injuries.
In both cases, the bus involved was a Bolloré Bluebus 5SE. The RATP also operates Heuliez and Alstom electric buses.
RATP seeks explanations
The Paris public transport authority began using electric buses in 2016. Out of its fleet of 4,700 buses, 500 are currently electric. Until now, there had never been an incident of this kind.
“RATP has requested a comprehensive assessment from the manufacturer Bolloré in order to explain the causes of these incidents and to propose an action plan to enable the safe recommissioning of these buses,” reads the press release.
Forced to reorganize following this decision, the RATP nevertheless wants to reassure Île-de-France residents: if there are disruptions, they will be brief and will not affect the entire network.
Another electric bus burns in Carcassonne on the same day
In Carcassonne, another electric bus caught fire on April 29. Used for testing, the vehicle was not carrying passengers. It caught fire after hitting a bridge structure. According to a source cited by Ouest France, the fire started at the battery. The bus in question was an Atak model.
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