Bendy buses - the fatal facts

12 April 2012

Bendy buses cause more than twice as many injuries as any other bus, according to official figures seen by the Standard.

More than 90 pedestrians and cyclists were injured by the new vehicles last year.

Two people, including a 12-year-old girl, Blessing Olayiwola, have been killed by bendy buses in the last six months alone, even though there are only a few hundred of them.

The figures will be seized on by critics who want Transport for London to scrap the 60ft long vehicles. However, the Standard has learned that TfL may introduce them on even more routes. The statistics, released by the Mayor to London Assembly member Geoff Pope, show the new buses caused 115 per cent more pedestrian injuries than other types of buses per million miles operated.

Bendy buses were involved in 1,751 accidents over the year - 75 per cent more than other buses, the figures reveal.

This is an average of nearly five a day, and more than five accidents a year for every bus in the fleet. The vehicles caused 170 per cent more collisions with cyclists - nearly three times as many as conventional buses.

Mr Pope, chairman of the Assembly's transport committee, said: "These figures are alarming and worryingly high.

"There appear to be defects in the design of the bendy bus, but there's no sign these can be overcome. TfL should urgently review whether all the routes currently operated by bendy buses are suitable for them."

Lynda Lynch, whose 79-year-old mother suffered "horrific" injuries after becoming trapped in the doors of a bendy bus, said: "How can TfL expect one person to drive two buses joined together and man three doors? They are a death trap."

Charlie Lloyd, of the London Cycling Campaign, said: "We are very concerned to see this. Buses cutting into cyclists are one of our members' biggest complaints."

Blessing, 12, died instantly when she was struck by a No 12 bendy bus in Peckham Rye, near the junction with East Dulwich Road in December. Her father Jonathan, 50, was driving another No 12 that evening and heard about the accident, which happened close to the family home in Nunhead, over his vehicle's radio.

Today's figures show that bendy buses cause 5.6 pedestrian injuries per million miles operated, compared with 2.6 for all other buses.

They are involved in 2.62 collisions with cyclists per million miles, compared with 0.97 for other buses. And they have 153 accidents per million miles, compared with only 87 per million on non-bendy routes.

Bendy buses were introduced from 2002 onwards, often to replace London's popular Routemasters.

Levels of fare-dodging on the new vehicles, which have unsupervised "open boarding," are about three times higher than on conventional buses.

TfL claimed bendies had more accidents because they " encountered more road users" than non-bendy buses.

TfL is also pressing ahead with new purchases of bendy buses. Around 30 vehicles are being bought for the 453 service, raising the possibility that the route's existing bendy buses will be redeployed on to other routes.

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