A BUS safety campaigner has aired his concerns after more public transport buses caught fire on Cornwall’s roads.

Barry West was reacting after a Go Cornwall operated bus caught fire near Camelford on Monday, June 29.

The incident came just two weeks after a Stagecoach operated double decker caught alight near Callington.

In 2023, Mr West warned that without better oversight on the maintenance and building standards of buses, there was a risk that the industry was ‘sleep walking into a Grenfell type situation’.

He was reacting at the time to a publication of a report by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), who had launched an investigation into the reasons and causes of bus fires across the United Kingdom.

The agency said that their investigation found no evidence that engine bay temperatures led to premature degradation or engine fires when the vehicles were maintained correctly.

However, they also found evidence that showed that when repairs were carried out to address an initial fault, the work was focused on the fault as opposed to the effect that it might have on other systems in the vehicles.

They also added that they had found evidence of drivers ‘continuing to drive the vehicle when warning systems advise it should be stopped’, and of drivers being given incorrect advice by depots to continue driving.

The report also found deficiencies in the reporting of incidents that caused a bus to catch fire, stating that a number of reports were submitted a long time after the incident, sometimes with little or poor information provided and often with no investigation into the root cause of the fire, evidence of events leading up to it and without witness statements.

Mr West has shared his fears for a future disaster involving bus fires.

He said: “I am a safety campaigner and have been raising concerns about the significant number of bus fires for over seven years.

“Bus companies, the government and the enforcement agencies appear to be ignoring the plea to recognise and to do everything to stop or reduce the likelihood (of fires).”

Mr West said that he fears a catastrophic bus fire is waiting to happen, adding: “The risk is that there will be a major bus fire with serious potential consequences.

“We are sleepwalking into another such disaster, and it is foreseeable and avoidable. The trend of bus fires needs and must be thoroughly investigated and action taken to tackle the causes of it and the rapid spread that ensues through the passenger section of the bus or coach.

“Fire regulations and the standards for constructions and interior fittings needs to be reviewed and reformed so that all materials used are significantly safer with designs that stop the spread of fire and toxic smoke.

“Investigations by an independent body such as the DVSA should be undertaken as there are serious concerns around the robustness, transparency and integrity of internal investigations that are often inadequate and where vital evidence is damaged, disturbed or missed.”

Go Ahead Group and Stagecoach have been approached for comment.