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.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS