The father of a pupil injured when a school bus toppled in high winds in the Mearns says he is disappointed no further action is being taken against Stagecoach or Aberdeenshire Council following a police investigation.
“We are committed to working in partnership with the council to improve the ways that information is recorded and shared.
“In addition, Stagecoach and the council have previously agreed that single-decker vehicles will be used to operate this particular contract from now on and the route has also now been amended so that the service no longer passes over Garvock Hill.”
Mr Smith said, “I’m disappointed at the lack of detail in the report. I was expecting something regarding the adequacy of the risk assessment process that was used by that I mean there is still no answer there as to why on earth there was a double-decker bus used in the first place.
“I was very disappointed that the assurances we were given before the accident regarding severe weather policy didn’t actually materialise. We had assurances that certain things would happen if severe weather was forecast and it clearly didn’t.
“Stagecoach’s investigation concluded that nobody really knew anything about it and they were relying on somebody in Stonehaven. I would have expected to have seen more robust risk assessment processes on reward of a contract you are transporting the most precious cargo you’ll ever transport, so get it right.”
The recommendations from the report by Stagecoach Bluebird are:
Control staff should be given limited internet access to enable them to keep up-to-date with severe weather warnings. Drivers of all seat-belted school buses to be reminded to make an announcement before departing, telling all children they should wear their seatbelts at all times whilst the vehicle is in motion. All route risk assessments (in particular schools) should be reviewed to ensure enough emphasis has been placed on severe weather provision.
The company said the action already taken is:
After discussion with Aberdeenshire Council it has been agreed single-deck vehicles will operate on this route for the remainder of the term of the contract. Aberdeenshire Council have agreed to look into the possibility of providing Stagecoach Bluebird with detailed weather warnings. Route risk assessments being reviewed on all routes with additional emphasis placed on soft verges.
Darran Smith, from St Cyrus, had approached the council and local politicians regarding his concerns over how his eldest daughter Hannah (12) was being taken to Mearns Academy in Laurencekirk before the accident had even happened.
His fears were realised when Hannah and 33 of her fellow pupils were travelling along the B1920 near the 900ft summit of Garvock Hill in the midst of a storm when their Stagecoach double decker bus careered off the road and landed in a nearby field.
Police have confirmed there will be no criminal proceedings after concluding an investigation into the bus crash which left 19 pupils injured.
“If people had been killed here there would be a completely different level of conversation and investigation than has been undergone,” said Mr Smith. “I’m disappointed there is nothing further happening with regard holding Stagecoach and the council to account, because, God forbid, if one or more child had been killed here, action would have been taken and things would have been different.”
The police inquiry concluded the collision was caused by the bus being caught by an excessive gust of wind from the offside, causing the driver to lose control momentarily. This caused the bus to veer to the nearside, where its wheels drove on to a soft verge which then gave way and the bus slid down then toppled onto its side in the field.
Several “learning points” highlighted by Grampian Police during the five-month inquiry have been given to Aberdeenshire Council and Stagecoach.
Stagecoach Bluebird’s internal report stated the driver “did not have reason to suspect the wind was particularly strong” when he left the academy and “it was only on nearing the top of Garvock Hill that the driver realised the severity of the wind strength.”
It also admits staff had not seen a severe weather warning but “it would not have been any help to the Stonehaven controller as it only referred to heavy rain” and concludes the driver and controller made “reasonable decisions.”
Staff will now be given access to weather warnings and route risk assessments have been reviewed on all routes, with additional emphasis placed on soft verges.
A spokesman for Stagecoach Bluebird said, “The safety of our passengers is our absolute priority. We have a good working relationship with Aberdeenshire Council and, following a thorough investigation into this incident, lessons have been learned on both sides.
Continued…