Spot checks carried out on Carmel school buses

Devon County Council has today (Monday 16 June) started its unannounced spot checks on school buses operated by Carmel Coaches.

Independent vehicle examiners inspected buses and coaches at the company’s depots in Exeter and Northlew last week. No major defects were found and no vehicles have had to be taken off the road.

It followed the decision last week by the Traffic Commissioner to revoke the licence of Carmel Coaches from July 31, a decision against which the company has said it will appeal.

Twenty two vehicles owned by the company have now been checked, with over half found to have no defects at all. Minor defects which have been picked up include a side indicator bulb not working, reverse light not working, a twisted seat belt, an old seatbelt buckle which had been left in place, a defective dashboard light, a broken plastic seat belt buckle cover, a small crack in the windscreen, and a blocked windscreen washer. All of these defects were not serious and all were immediately rectified by the company.

In the first of the school spot checks, five Carmel Coaches were checked at three schools this morning. Four buses had no faults and one had a single loose bolt on a seat frame which was fixed at the depot.

Councillor James McInnes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Young People, said: “It must be remembered that all bus and coach companies are subject to an ongoing inspection regime by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in order to retain their operators’ licence, and the County Council only use licenced operators.

“In this case, because of the findings of the Traffic Commissioner, we appointed our own independent vehicle examiners as an additional safety check to ensure that the Carmel Coaches used on our school routes meet all the statutory safety requirements, and to ensure that the County Council and parents could be reassured about the safety of vehicles which transport our children to school. The initial inspections have found that every vehicle is roadworthy, and any minor defects have been immediately rectified and have not given us any safety concerns. Every single vehicle will be checked and re-checked during the ongoing spot checks.”

The rolling programme of spot checks on Carmel’s buses will continue every day at varying schools on a rolling programme until the end of term, or as and when routes can be covered by a different operator.