Whoops..

Catching up on a few items over the last week or so

A double-decker Go Cornwall bus has crashed into Treliske Hospital this morning (Thursday, October 9). The bus appears to have crashed into a canopy at the entrance of the Trelawny Wing, which includes the emergency department. One witness has told CornwallLive they heard the crash and saw the bus hit the hospital just before 9am. They said: "I was sitting on the bench and heard a crash turned around and saw the bus go into to the front of the hospital".

Pictures taken at the scene show the top window of the double-decker bus completely smashed up, as metal poles have been left bent and trapped under the canopy. It is not known if there were any passengers on the bus at the time of the crash. A spokesperson for Go Cornwall said:

A double decker bus has clipped the canopy on the entrance to Treliske Hospital this morning. There was one passenger on board, no reported injuries. Management have been to the site and held a meeting with the hospital facilities team. An investigation is currently taking place.

There are more photos from Cornwall Live:

Finally, a photos of 460 a few years back (December 2019)

Stagecoach Driver due in court

It has been over a year since the accident involving a Stagecoach Gold bus left 37 people injured. Todays its been announced that the driver is going to appear in court charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving – but the case isnt due until JUNE NEXT YEAR:

The driver of a Stagecoach Gold double decker is to face trial next year after it overturned in an accident which left 37 people injured.

Kameron Allan, aged 20, repeated his not guilty pleas at Plymouth Crown Court to 10 charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving on October 5, 2019 near Totnes.

Judge James Townsend set down a trial on June 1 next year, apologising to the court for the delay.

Allan had previous denied identical charges before Newton Abbot magistrates.

He allegedly caused serious injury by dangerous driving to passengers Mary Westley, Cheryl Russ, Gareth Pass, Gillian Spackman, Robert Ritson, David Duncan, Susan Ratcliffe, Mary Bailey and Zita and Eammon Delaney on the A385 Longcombe Cross, Totnes.

Allan, of Kendlewood Close, St Michaels, Paignton, was released on unconditional bail until an interim hearing on May 13 next year.

Judge Townsend said: “I am very sorry to anyone involved in this case for the delay. In the current situation the courts are dealing with a huge backlog of cases and we have to work our way through them.”

The incident occurred as the bus was travelling from Paignton to Plymouth on the A385 to Totnes near Longcombe Cross.

It ended up sideways in a field next to the road just before 11am on Saturday October 5, 2019.

Thirteen ambulances and four helicopters attended the scene of crash and ferried 37 people to hospitals.

It was declared a major incident by the emergency services and more than 140 police officers, paramedics and firefighters attended.

Recently, Devon County Council has installed new bollards on the road at the site.

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/stagecoach-gold-double-decker-bus-4621166

https://app.getpocket.com/read/3146831902

ps

As always comments are welcome – but please avoid making any accusations or personal comments regarding this serious incident.

EcoCity gets a bump

With the Red Flash brand on its way out, we get quite a selection of buses on the 42s these days, with most days now having at least one of the MAN EcoCity buses on the 42Cs.

Today was no exception although one of them didn't make it through unscathed being involved in an accident on Manadon roundabout as can be seen from this exciting photo reported on PlymouthLive…

BREAKING: More as we get it https://t.co/qXKrcrppXc

— Plymouth Live (@Plymouth_Live) August 5, 2019

Highlights from todays social media

Great day at the @devongeneralso1 Centenary Bus Rally supported by @StagecoachSW! See more of my photos from the event at https://t.co/Jfp6F2aX1l pic.twitter.com/zufyh3JNTN

— Jamie Bally (@JamieBally123) August 4, 2019

Good morning from Penzance, all services are out and running. We have new to fleet an open top 37058 out today. (DT)

— Cornwall by Kernow (@by_Kernow) August 5, 2019

Service update : #PCB11A Due to a police incident the 1540 service from Liskeard to Padstow is currently not running. Sorry for the inconvenience.

— Plymouth Citybus (@plymouthbus) August 5, 2019

<

Service 87. Due to an inconsiderate car parking on the 'no parking' sign on British road in St Agnes, the 18:50 Newquay to Truro bus is stuck. We will endeavor to keep you posted when the service is back up and running

— Cornwall by Kernow (@by_Kernow) August 5, 2019

Christmas Eve Accident

No matter how careful you are its a sad fact of life that accidents can and do happen. When the accident involves public transport its normally front page news. Sadly Christmas Eve saw an accident involving Plymouth Citybus which hit the headlines in The Herald when it was reported that a bus had hit a tree near Saltash

Police officers, paramedics and firefighters were called to the A38 at Tideford following reports the man, who is in his mid-60s, had suffered a suspected heart attack. In total ten people were injured after the Citybus vehicle veered off the carriageway and crashed into a tree at about 5pm. Police say children were among those hurt.

A spokesman from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were called at 5.01pm following reports from members of the public that a bus driver had had a suspected heart attack before crashing into a tree. "He was rescued by firefighters and was conscious and breathing at the scene. "Several other people sustained minor injuries, including some children." The force spokesman added that later that evening the driver's condition was described as stable.

Following the crash, the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust said one man was taken to Derriford Hospital and nine others were treated and discharged at the scene.

Just as a matter of record the bus involved was 106. It was badly damaged so will be off the road for some time assuming it is economically worth repairing depending on how badly damaged the chassis is.

Much more important than a bus being damaged though is the effect an accident like this has on the people involved. There is never a good time to have an accident like this but it always seems worse when things like this happen at Christmas. This clearly could have been a lot worse but it would still have been a frightening experience for the passengers who must be feeling very lucky to have escaped with minor injuries. Our thoughts are with the driver who was not so lucky  and we hope he makes a full recovery.

A year ago today

It doesn't seem that long ago but it was exactly one year ago that two trains collided at Plymouth Station…

At 15:34 hrs on Sunday 3 April 2016, the 13:39 hrs passenger train service from Penzance to Exeter collided with an empty train which was already waiting in platform 6 at Plymouth station. The collision occurred at a speed of about 15 mph (24 km/h) and resulted in injuries to 48 people and damage to both trains.
The signaller intended that both trains should share the platform because the empty train was to form a service to London and some passengers from the Penzance service were expected to join it. Lift refurbishment work meant that without platform sharing, passengers would have needed to use the stairs and a subway when changing trains. Permissive signalling arrangements were in place at Plymouth to permit two trains to share the same platform.
The signaller misjudged the amount of space available behind the London train and wrongly believed there was room for the Penzance train. He was aware that the platform sharing arrangement required an unusual form of permissive working, but did not communicate this to the Penzance train driver, and the rules did not require him to do so.
The Penzance train driver incorrectly believed he would not be sharing a platform with the London train. There was insufficient distance to stop his train by the time he realised his mistake and had applied the emergency brake.
Great Western Railway, the operator of both trains, and Network Rail the owner of the infrastructure, had not identified the risk of a collision due to the combination of an unusual form of permissive working, the track alignment on the approach to Plymouth station, and an inexperienced driver.
The RAIB has made three recommendations. The first, addressed to Great Western Railway and possibly also relevant to other train operators, seeks improvements to the training and assessment of new drivers. The second, also addressed to Great Western Railway and possibly relevant to other train operators, arises from difficulties encountered during passenger evacuation and seeks improvements to emergency door release controls. The third recommendation, addressed to Network Rail and to be undertaken with the assistance of appropriate train operating companies, seeks a review of permissive working arrangements at stations.
Two learning points stress the care needed by drivers when undertaking permissive moves, and the value of preventing passengers boarding or alighting from trains when permissive movements are taking place in the same platform.
43160 © Joshua Brown (cc)
A full copy of the accident report can be read by clicking on the cover below
 

Plymouth Rail Crash Investigation

 

A signaller misjudged the space available on the platform for two trains that collided in Plymouth, an initial investigation has found. A train travelling from Penzance to Exeter collided with another train on platform six just after 15.30 BST on 3 April. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch initial findings found the signaller believed there was enough space for both trains on the platform. About 35 people were injured.

The report said: "Allowing trains to share a platform is known as permissive working, and is allowed for passenger trains using platform six. "The signaller could see the rear of the train from the signal box window and estimated there was enough room for the moving train to fit on the platform. This was not the case."

One of the trains was moved to platform six due to passenger lifts being closed for maintenance on alternative platforms, the report said.

While approaching Plymouth, the moving train accelerated to about 21 mph and went through a relatively tight, left-hand curve. That is when the driver saw the rear of the stationary train on platform six and was surprised to see it so close to the west end of the platform. The investigation report said: "He looked at the tracks to confirm which route the train was taking and, realising a collision was imminent, applied the emergency brake. "This was around three seconds before the collision, which occurred at about 15 mph. "Many passengers were standing in preparation to leave the train and were thrown into the train's fixtures and onto the floor.

BBC News

Rail Technology Magazine gives a bit more detail:

Train 2E68 from Penzance to Exeter, composed of two multiple-car diesel class 150 units with around 60 passengers on board, would normally have used platform 8, but the signaller decided to signal it into platform 6 to allow passengers changing trains to 1A91 to do so easily, again because of the lift closure. The signaller incorrectly estimated that there was enough room at the platform for both trains.

 

Many passengers were standing because they were about to leave the train, and some were thrown around or on to the floor. Seven of those injured were reported to have needed hospital treatment, including the driver. Both trains were also damaged, and the station was closed for around 90 minutes.

The RAIB will follow these preliminary findings with a detailed inquiry into the actions of staff involved, the signalling and platform working arrangements at Plymouth, the performance of the train during the collision and any 'underlying management factors'.

Rail News

It looks like the Plymouth accident will mean that figures for injuries on the UK’s rail network are already higher than 2015, when 29 people were injured in total, prompting the RSSB to praise the UK for having “one of the safest rail networks in Europe.

Plymouth Train Station Accident

I have been keeping an eye out for more railway news from the area but sadly would rather not get news stories like this one:

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a train crash at Plymouth station left 18 people injured. As a train from Penzance to Exeter pulled into platform six on Sunday afternoon, it went into the back of another stationary train at "low speed". A spokesman said: "We can confirm we are investigating a low-speed collision between two trains at Plymouth Station at around 3.30pm this afternoon.

"Nine passengers who suffered cuts and bruises are being looked after by GWR staff and local ambulance crews. "Train services were suspended into and out of the station, however, they resumed just before 5pm."

South Western Ambulance Service has said eight people were taken to Derriford Hospital following the train crash. None of them were reported to be seriously injured and all are said to be in a stable condition.
Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-train-crash-Investigation-launched-18/story-29043817-detail/story.html#ixzz44nvY3nv9

BOSSES at train operator Great Western Railway say Sunday's crash at Plymouth train station was 'extremely unusual'. A total of 18 people were injured when a local service between Penzance and Exeter collided with a stationary train at platform six at about 3.35pm. And David Crome, general manager in the West for GWR, said this particular crash was unlike any other he had dealt with.

Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-train-crash-extremely-unusual-says-Great/story-29043920-detail/story.html#ixzz44nwpOvbU

A spokesman for British Transport Police, whose officers joined fire and ambulance crews on the scene, said: "A number of people, including the driver of one of the trains, have sustained injuries as a result of the collision and are being treated by paramedics at the scene.

"At this stage we believe that a moving train collided into the back of a stationary train on platform six at the station and we are currently looking into the circumstances to determine how this happened."

Wilts & Gloucestershire Standard

Typical over dramatic and unhelpful headline from The Mirror:

For even more rubbish reporting with a really poor choice of photo try this from the Focus International Agency:

Words fail me!

43160 is the HST involved

© Joshua Brown (cc) May 2013

Clearly this accident should not have been able to happen so something has gone badly wrong. It could have been a lot worse so lets be greatful that its a fairly minor accicent with few injuries. There will be an investigation which hopefully will get published so until then I for one wont speculate as to what went wrong. Lets hope all involved make a speedy recovery, from what would have been a frightening experience.

Busy Days…

Recovery Accident

A MAN has been injured after a bus fell on him while being repaired at the road side. The incident happened at around 10.40am in Fore Street, Callington. Police said the Citybus vehicle was on a jack and the man became trapped while carrying out a repair at a bus stop. A spokesman for Citybus said that the man involved worked for a breakdown recovery company.

The Herald

Lets hope that the injuries are not too severe and he makes a full recovery. It does highlight just how dangerous the job can be from time to time.

Bus and Car Accident

A CRASH between a bus and a car on Western Approach is blocking the road this morning. The smash happened shortly after 9am at the junction with Mayflower Street.

The Herald

Professional Job

Received a nice note from Peter Murnaghan who pointed out just how well organised the changeover from Western Greyhound to Plymouth Citybus was:

Plymouth Citybus appear to have been very professional in their takeover of the Western Greyhound vehicles and operations out of Liskeard. The acquired Solos that I saw yesterday and today had already been renumbered into the Citybus series. Curiously, although the new 208 had had its fleet names removed, its route branding for routes 524-526 remained above the windows yesterday. But, a good start, marred only by the RTA on the A38 this morning which was hitting reliability, but would have affected Western Greyhound just as badly.

208 still with route branding above the windows

220 shows off her new fleetnumber whilst loading for the 574 to Callington

204 in red also on on the 574

All photos above © Peter Murnaghan - with thanks.

---

In The News

• Focus Transport: First Bus wins wheelchair court judgement Bus companies are not required by law to force parents with buggies to make way for wheelchair users in designated bays on vehicles, senior judges ruled.
• Evening Standard: Jailed: Cyclist who pulled bus driver out of cab and assaulted him for beeping his horn. Lyon McClean, 26, became aggressive after the driver of a route 343 double-decker beeped his horn to get him to move out of the way

Reading List

• Public Transport Experience: A Protracted Perusal of the Potteries [5]
• Transport Illustrated: Oxford Bus Museum Rally
• Norfolk Scene: Fleet Update ~ GBRf

Hot Dart

"You maybe aware that there has been a fire on one of our vehicles in Plymouth today. This is a very rare occurrence but one we take very seriously. We are glad that no injuries occurred and thank our staff for their actions. We would also like to thank the emergency services for their prompt response." Robbie Lamerton, General Manager, First South West

AN investigation will be carried out after a bus caught fire in Plymouth city centre. The First Devon bus had no passengers on board when it bust into flames at about 2.30pm today. The bus was parked in Exeter Street, on the carriageway above Bretonside bus station, leading into St Andrew’s cross, with just the driver on board when the driver of another bus saw sparks coming from the engine, in the rear of the vehicle. Within minutes the rear of the bus was in flames, with thick smoke billowing.
Plymouth Herald

Post by The Plympton Podcast.

40039 back in happier days

You might like

EYMS X47 Evening Changes EYMS are altering their evening service X47 between Hull, Beverley, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York from Sunday 1st June.

X39: Bristol - Bath The X39 links majestic Bristol with historic Bath. There are 5 buses per hour weekday daytimes, 4 per hour Saturday daytimes and route 39 runs via Keynsham every 30 mins Mon-Sat evenings and Sunday daytimes.

Gloom in Gwynedd as Padarn Pops Gwynedd Council have now issued a press release confirming that Padarn will stop running from midnight tonight. The council is now looking to issue last-minute contracts to find other companies to operate those routes that aren't already covered by other bus services. Council check: Kent County Council Each Sunday, we look at a local council and how it promotes the bus services in its area. This week, it's the turn of Kent County Council.

New Book New Bus For London Written by a transport journalist, it is a fairly decent insight into the the development of the New Routemaster/NBfL/White Elephant without being too detailed about the nuts and bolts of the bus design.

Goliath and Centurian Disposal Sanders Coaches last night tweeted 'Goliath & Norfolk Centurian have left Us for pastures new... Watch this space for our new additions'

Malmö, Sweden The city of Malmö is the third largest in Sweden, with a population of around 300,000 people. It is located in Sweden's southernmost county, Skåne. Skåne is also sometimes called by its traditional name, Scania. The commercial vehicle manufacturer which carries this name was founded in Malmö.

First timetables change this Sunday / Velvet B4 starts Monday From Wednesday, there's a new link between Bitterne and Bursledon in the shape of Velvet B4. It will run via Harefield, Thornhill and Sholing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday

BORIS BUSES BEDAZZLE in BLACK Well now it appears that in London, black is the new red, as the first of twenty New Routemasters (or New Bus for London), in an allover black livery commence operation. WOES IN WALES, BUT SMILES IN SCOTLAND since the first money was allocated to the project, the price has doubled, the network has halved and it has taken twice as long to build as originally planned. The project was almost scrapped just weeks before the construction began in 2007 and later ground to a halt for months when the company in charge of the trams fell into a bitter dispute with the main contractor.

A B C D E F G (part 3) Before we reveal the whole truth and nothing but the truth, we will join fbb on his real live trip and perhaps share with him some of the problems that this clever bit of timetabling presents to the unwary. On This Day ... Apologies for any inaccuracy in this fbb expurgated summary of events; the whole story is far more convoluted and intertwined with politics, incompetence and overspend. What's Going On : Ple'ma an kyttrinva? “So, the Edinburgh trams logo graphic suggests a system or network of lines intersecting. I’ve done them a new one that more accurately reflects the single line we’ve ended up with; and it doesn’t quite make it all the way across.

Accident Yesterday

Sadly there is only really one story today

Two women died and 48 people were injured when a coach careered into a hedge and struck a wall in Cornwall. The coach crashed at Morval, on a steep and winding hill on the approach to the seaside town of Looe. Eight passengers, who were on an Age Concern trip from Exmouth, Devon have been taken to hospital. They are believed to be critically injured. Police said the 57-year-old coach driver had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

One woman died at the scene while a second woman was pronounced dead on arrival at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, the Devon and Cornwall force said. Exeter-based Carmel Coaches, which owns the vehicle, said: "Carmel Coaches extends our deepest sympathies to those involved in today's accident. "We are co-operating with the authorities in the investigation of this tragic event."

Steve Dace, of Age Concern, Exmouth, said: "It's been an absolutely dreadful day. "It's been devastating for all concerned and a shock for staff and volunteers at Age Concern. "We have been using the coach company involved for a number of years and they have an excellent reputation. They have done all they can to support those involved in the accident." Three air ambulances, two from Devon and one from Cornwall, were sent to the scene.

Two search and rescue helicopters also attended, one from RNAS Culdrose, near Helston in Cornwall, and one from RMB Chivenor, near Barnstaple in Devon. BBC News Devon

As always our thoughts are for those who have lost loved ones in this awful accident.

Here is the coach which crashed near Looe this afternoon pic.twitter.com/C2HyYJBkuY

— Sam Blackledge (@samblackledge) May 13, 2014

You might like

Locomotion No. 1 Replica Marks Tanfield Railway Anniversary The fully working replica of the Robert Stephenson-designed Locomotion No. 1 has launched a month of festivities on one of the world's oldest railways

Reconciliation in Rotherham : Revised Routes.. The day ticket is 10p cheaper than First's "own", Weekly is £3.50 dearer and Monthly £13.75 dearer. What is not made clear in the publicity (so far) is, simply, what is "Rotherham"; the boundaries have not yet been revealed. Another breath holding moment!

Scene in Nottingham I start unusually with a tram, No. 209. I do not normally include trams but this one at the Theatre Royal stop was sporting a livery that I had not ‘Scene’ before.

Anglian Bus Catches Fire Within moments of us being evacuated, thick smoke could be seen coming from the bus followed just 5 mins later with flames. Lowestoft's PBJ2F Changes Ownership Lowestoft Corporation Leyland Titan PD2/47 Number PBJ2F was first registered on 8th August 1967, I walked down into town and was the first, and only, passenger on her first run in service.

Business as usual

Plymouth Citybus 77

6 March ©Wayne Tomlinson

24 March ©Richard Smith

First 40582

6 March ©Wayne Tomlinson

24 March ©Richard Smith

Nice to see both buses back on the road. Being a low speed accident the damage probably looked a lot worse than it was and would not have presented too much difficulty to the respective workshops but a nice tidy job all round by both of them.

Bit of a bump

A COLLISION involving two buses forced police officers to close one side of Royal Parade.

The single-deck vehicles crashed while travelling in the direction of the Charles Cross roundabout along the main thoroughfare through the city centre shortly after midday.

Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Bus-crash-closes-Royal-Parade-Plymouth/story-20774427-detail/story.html#ixzz2vEGZAjYh

It must be said that The Herald did a poor job of reporting this story getting several key points wrong when it first published getting the location wrong and quoting the accident as being between “a singledecker bus and a bendy bus”!

It seems that it was a low speed accident and no one was seriously hurt which is good news. It did cause traffic chaos in town for quite a while though

 

Both photos ©Wayne Tomlinson

Full investigations will no doubt be taking place at both bus companies as to what happened. With this in mind if you do comment, please do not make any accusations against any driver and do not mention drivers names. Thanks!

You might like

Stagecoach Quick to React to Overloading Problems (Once someone told them about it!) Students being students, the heaviest demand for travel to the campus is not in the traditional "peak", but sometime later towards mid-morning. In the case of service 41 to Preston though, this extra demand co-incides with passengers wanting to travel out of the city, both after 0900 when the "Dayrider" ticket becomes valid and especially after 0930 when Concessionary Passes can be used

Traffic Gridlocked at £7m Bus Interchange Engineers worked through the night to prevent a repeat of gridlock which occurred on the opening of Northampton's £7m bus interchange.

North Gate; No Good or Nice Goody? A Question. And, before we move on to other things, almost everything that went wrong on Black Monday was pointed out in advance by interested observers.

Bravery Honoured

Its great to see the bravery of this bus driver being recognised by his employers.

A First Devon and Cornwall company spokesperson said: "One of our drivers was involved in an incident. The driver, travelling on Service 4 towards Keyham, came across a vehicle on fire.

"On realising that a man was also involved in the fire, he stopped his bus in such a way to shield the scene and protect his passengers, before getting out and assisting the injured man. All of our buses carry fire extinguishers so he had this at his disposal to help.

"The injured man was already out of the car when our driver arrived, but he was on fire.

"Our driver helped to extinguish the flames and then stayed with him, keeping him calm, maintaining his airway and continuing to talk to him until the emergency services arrived.

"We are incredibly proud of our driver's actions. The scene was distressing but he acted quickly, remaining calm under pressure.

 

Full story The Herald

Not a good day

Accidents involving buses are pretty rare and its even rarer to have passengers getting hurt but yesterday was had an accident in Plymouth:

A BUS has collided head on with a car in a busy city road leaving passengers and drivers with minor injuries.Paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service treated several people at the scene, in Saltash Road, Keyham, close to the Goschen Centre, shortly after 5.10pm today. It is understood the single decker bus, owned by Target Travel, veered across the carriageway and into oncoming traffic.

The bus and a black Audi estate car collided, writing off the smaller vehicle and causing severe front end damage to the bus. Police have said four people were injured including an elderly female bus passenger who was taken to Derriford Hospital with a suspected broken wrist. The driver of the bus was treated by paramedics at the scene for a knee injury while the driver of the Audi was treated for chest and neck pain.

It is understood the police inquiry will be assisted by investigators from VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency).

Plymouth Herald

There is a video – but its just of the car being loaded onto a truck.

Meanwhile up the road in Tiverton…

Full story and video: Express & Echo

---

PT RECOMMENDS

• Today's Sunday Lost Scenes reminisces about my first Yellow Buses photo... Southern England
• Sometime this evening or possibly overnight, the Omnibuses’ statistics counter will register its next million hits. Omnibuses
• Today, we celebrate the introduction of England’s first low floor bus. It all started on Monday July 12th 1993, 20 years ago. Omnibuses
• No more topless shots! Not a Clare Short inspired purge on “Page 3 stunners” but a reflection on the decline of the traditional seaside open top service. Omnibuses
• When we heard the news that in 2009 there would be no yellow open tops that season, it came as a disappointment to free travelling nostalgists and holiday makers alike. Dorset Bus Blog
• Apparently the steelwork below (called "The Banana Arches" because they're not arches and appear to have nothing to do with bananas) is too frail to support trains Public Transport Experience
• fbb decided to break his journey round the Overground Great Circle at Hampstead Heath station, which, like many on the North London line is hardly the most beautiful of railway buildings. Public Transport Experience

Tragic

Its been an odd few days with a few ‘bad news’ stories…

The most tragic one being the death of a coach driver at Lee Mill:

A coach driver has died after being run over by his own vehicle in a car park in Devon. The 50-year-old from Newton Abbot got off the coach at the Famous Lee Mill clothes store, near Plymouth, and it rolled forward. The driver was taken to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital after the accident at 17:00 BST on Thursday, but died from his injuries.

The charity said it was believed the driver stopped the coach because of a suspected mechanical problem and the vehicle rolled forward as he got out to inspect it. No other vehicle was involved, police said.

BBC News 19 April 2013

There is a little more detail on This is Plymouth

This kind of accident is very rare but that wont be any comfort to the drivers family and friends. Our heart goes out to them at this difficult time.

All of this followed the equally tragic accident where another coach driver died, this time clearly saving his passengers lives as a result of his actions..

More on this story on The Evening Standard

As with most sectors of industry, accidents can and will happen. Coach travel happens to have an excellent safety record so to have two stories like this in the same week is most unusual. Its clear that the second accident reported above could very nearly have been even more of a tragedy as many lives would have been lost were it not for the actions of the driver. The surviving passengers will remember that journey for the rest of their lives. The passengers of the Lee Mill coach were not in any danger themselves but they will also remember their journey as witnesses to this horrible accident.

---

PT Recommends

• Trident 311 has returned to use in fleet livery - this being the last bus painted into Metro livery back in 2010 Fylde Bus Blog
• Norfolk Green's two brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro400's entered service yesterday (15/04/13) we caught up with both of the new additions this afternoon.. Andys Bus Blog
• Report Hopper Solo 294 displays the logo map for the attractions that participate in the Resort Pass. It lays over at the Pleasure Beach (Burlington Road) terminus stop Fylde Bus Blog
• I'm willing to bet that even the most hardened of readers will be surprised at just how much we've had to achieve in the last few weeks as part of 270 KTA's gearbox overhaul, 270KTA
• One feature of the operation that stands out is the fares. There is only one! Lothian Buses has a simple flat fare throughout the network which has just gone up 10p to £1.50. Public Transport Experience
• To provide a break from the burden of incisive and detailed blogging, we leap ahead of ourselves and report on last Sunday's various omnibological activities. Public Transport Experience
• Go Whippet have recently acquired four East Lancs Myllenium bodied DAF SB220's from Stagecoach in Yorkshire.. Andys Bus Blog
• This Saturday (20th April 2013) over 50 vintage vehicles are set to descend on Oswestry town centre where the Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) holds its popular Vintage Vehicle Extravaganza. North West Bus Blog
• It was quite a surprise to see a familiar looking blue and white liveried vehicle residing in the corner of Waterloo Depo PTOTPA

Choices choices

So you are stuck in Callington and you want to come to Plymouth...
This
or this?

Both seen on 12 February 2011.

---

Related Links

• First cuts (some) fares Plymothian Transit November 2009
• The Dog takes over Plymothian Transit September 2009
• Hound gets bigger Plymothian Transit August 2009

Elsewhere on the net

• An inquest into the death of a 30-year old police data handler just over 7 years ago has allowed some catastrophic details to come to light concerning the manner in which British Transport Police's CID officers were rostered A Transport of Delight
• It was very pleasing to find that Ex-Plymouth Dennis Dart, P411 MLA has been secured for preservation. PTOTPA
• This is a guest post by the Fat Bus Bloke. Omnibuses welcomes guest posts. More information hereComments on recent blog posts raise the eternal question, “Should buses be a public service or a business?” The answer is that they are both Omnibuses

Target hits a tree

Marshall meets Tree

Regular readers of Plymothian Transit will know that I am not a fan of the Marshall Minibuses used by Target Travel. Whereas the rest of their fleet is improving these buses have always seemed really rough. I know some of the drivers are not exactly fans either! Yesterday morning I saw a plain white Marshall, possibly P401KAV but I cant confirm this yet, stuck half way up a bank just opposite Derriford Hospital. It was the exit road from Marjon College just as it comes out by the entrance to Derriford. The bus seems to have veered off to the right and ended up half way up the bank. No major damage was visible, although a small tree seems to have been flattened in the process, but will probably survive. Hopefully there were no passengers on the bus at the time as I would imagine it would have been quite frightening even at slow speed. Buses do sit on the slip road here 'out of service' quite often so hopefully it was one of them rather than the main George - Derriford shuttle service. Hopefully I will find out more shortly - I have my usual sources out there trying to find out!

Further Reading TGP: Budiful (great shot Terry!) PTOTPA: Northern Belle TGP: Noon in Plymouth Omnibuses: Repute? Transport of Delight: Great Railway Journeys First on Twitter / Facebook Nothing to see here Citybus on Twitter / Facebook nope - nothing!

A medical episode

Citybus Citaro Drama

Police and paramedics were called after a Citybus came off the road by the Texaco garage in Plympton Road at around 12.10pm Monday. The bus mounted the kerb and came to a stop with its right front wheel over a gully which contains Tory Brook, which runs into the nearby River Plym. Police said the driver of the number 21 bus which runs to Chaddlewood via Plympton, suffered "a medical episode" shortly before the bus came to its precarious position. A spokesman for the road policing team said the bus was unlikely to have continued down into the gully as it was travelling at a reasonable speed and trees would have prevented it's decline. A spokesman for Citybus confirmed a driver was taken to Derriford Hospital where his condition was said to be "fine". The spokesman said: "Fortunately no-one was injured during the incident. We would like to thank the emergency services for their help and the passengers for their patience and calm response." This is Plymouth A footnote to the story comes from 'Kim': I am the pregnant lady that was on the bus, I would like to say thank you to all those that helped yesterday would like to also say a big thank you to the lady that stood with me and helped me off the bus and to the man that took the keys out of the ignition.It was a very scary experience.I am glad the driver is ok. As soon as you hear of an accident involving a bus you do tend to fear the worst. I am just glad that this one seems to have been a fairly minor one, albeit quite frightening to those involved. Derriford News PLYMOUTH motorists are facing possible delays tomorrow when building work starts on a new bus lane for Derriford Hospital. The £300,000 scheme, which follows a trial of traffic management, involves road widening to create a new, 200-metre section of bus lane connecting one of the hospital site entrances with the existing bus lane on Derriford Road. The work, which is expected to take around 14 weeks, was due to start in November but was delayed at the request of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust to allow a three-day trial of plan. This is Plymouth Plymouth Transport and Highways and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust have assessed the impact of the measures on emergency vehicle access and traffic flow to and from the site and agreed a slightly revised traffic management plan that will include: • a one-way system in front of the hospital • temporary traffic lights on Morlaix Drive • stop/go boards at the western exit onto Derriford Road to manage traffic during the Monday to Friday evening rush hour and maintain emergency vehicle access I am glad that the work is finally going ahead, but have to ask the question - does it really take 14 weeks to build 200M of bus lane?

Further Reading Plymothian Transit: Accident today Plymothian Transit: Another horrible accident Recommended Links TGP Public: Underwater Snaps TGP Projects: Bideford - Appledore PTOPA: A rare WGL visitor