An electric bus last night burst into flames on Dunhua N Road in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山), prompting Taipei and New Taipei City authorities to step up safety inspections.
The bus, operated by Metropolitan Transport Corp on route 262, caught fire in front of 167 Dunhua N Rd at 8:43pm.
The driver, suspecting a battery failure, quickly pulled over and all seven passengers were safely evacuated before the vehicle was engulfed in fire and smoke.
Photo: Yao Yueh-hung, Taipei Times
Authorities would inspect the batteries and charging systems for 114 buses of the same model from four separate companies, the Taipei City Public Transportation Office said today.
Safety checks would also be completed on all 858 electric buses citywide within the next three days, the office said.
This is the first time an electric bus has caught alight in Taipei, said Chen Chun-hao (陳俊豪), a technical specialist at the office.
Preliminary assessments indicate that a battery malfunction caused the fire, Chen said, adding that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has been informed.
A forensic team from the Taipei City Fire Department was dispatched this morning to further investigate the cause, he said.
The ministry, Vehicle Safety Certification Center and RAC Electric Vehicles Inc, which manufactured the bus involved, would then meet with Metropolitan Transport to clarify the situation, he said.
All 20 electric buses operated by Metropolitan Transport that have the same model and production batch as the bus that caught fire have been suspended from service today, Chen said.
Three other bus companies operating the same model would be required to inspect 94 electric buses today, he added.
Taipei contracts 14 transportation companies, nine of which operate 858 electric buses across the city, Chen said.
They would be given three days to inspect their batteries and charging systems, he said.
The ministry aims to electrify all public buses by 2030, and the Taipei City Government would continue to comply with the policy directive and work to improve the safety and management of charging stations, he said.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City is inspecting 56 buses of the same model that caught alight, They operate on routes 640, 637 and 656.
The city has instructed bus operators to enhance daily safety checks, inspect charging facilities, improve fire safety preparedness and report any irregularities immediately.
Tainan and Kaohsiung have also launched inspections of electric buses from the same manufacturer.
RAC Electric Vehicles said that the batteries were made in Japan, have no history of incidents and meet EU ECE-R100-2 safety standards.
The company's technical team is cooperating with investigators, it added.
All of its products are covered by liability insurance and the incident would not have a significant financial impact on the firm, RAC Electric Vehicles said.
However, the company’s shares dropped more than 6 percent in trading today.
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