McGill's bus operator fined almost £30,000 over faults

A series of faults with services included two vehicles catching fire

A leading bus firm has been fined almost £30,000 by Scotland's traffic commissioner over a series of faults with services - including two vehicles catching fire.

McGill's Buses was given a final warning by Richard Turfitt and told the problems had "severely tarnished" the reputation of the firm's subsidiary companies Scotland East and Midland Bluebird.

One of the incidents involved a bus, carrying 30 passengers on the A91 at Blairlogie, which caught fire as it travelled from Dollar Academy to Stirling.

A spokesperson for the Greenock company told BBC Scotland News the issues mostly dated to just after McGill's took over services from First Bus in 2022.

The inquiry also criticised McGill's for failing to meet published timetables.

The Stirling incident took place in September 2023. The bus driver was told by school pupils on the vehicle that smoke and flames had appeared.

She had already told the firm's Bannockburn depot the water warning light was being illuminated, but was told there would be enough coolant/water to safely return there.

A report later concluded the fire had been caused by failure of the rocker cover - which covers a component in the internal combustion engine. This meant combustible fluids leaked from the engine onto hot components.

A second vehicle used by Midland Bluebird caught fire in December 2023, although it was not carrying passengers at the time.

It was at the start point for the M4 route when the rear wheel went up in flames, while travelling on the A811 between Arnprior and Garden Lodge.

The driver was assisted by a passing motorist, with a fire extinguisher used on the rear wheel.

McGill's Buses was given a final warning by Richard Turfitt

During a later audit of Midland Bluebird, eight vehicles were inspected and two prohibitable defects were found - an oil leak in excess of 75mm and a slight fuel leak.

The company said that out of 294 vehicles it acquired when buying Midland Bluebird, 106 were found to be "in an unfit state for operation."

However, Mr Turfitt said this should have been noted during the purchase itself, when McGill's carried out due diligence.

He also raised concerns regarding the management culture in Bannockburn, with "shifts being run to suit the individual staff rather than the needs of the business and to deliver effective risk management".

Since then the firm has recruited more staff and carried out performance improvement plans.

Increase in bus cancellations

The other company affected - Scotland East - was criticised following complaints from the public regarding cancelled services.

A monitoring exercise carried out in May and June 2024 noticed that "cancellations, and alterations to services increased almost exponentially".

It added that "the recorded figures are both unprecedented and unacceptable to travelling passengers for whom, these failures of services are critical to all aspects of their daily lives."

The firm pointed to external factors affecting punctuality, including temporary roadworks, road closures with complex diversions, increasing levels of traffic in the west of Stirling and utility upgrades in greater Glasgow.

A spokesperson for Midland Bluebird said safety and reliability were non-negotiable for the business.

They added: "We acknowledge the findings of the Traffic Commissioner, and it is a matter of regret that we suffered unacceptable maintenance and punctuality issues, much of which arose immediately after we acquired the businesses in 2022.

"Since then, we've strengthened engineering leadership, introduced more detailed IRTEC inspection at four-weekly intervals, and funded independent audits and monitoring with Bus Users Scotland.

"Importantly, we are also investing heavily in refreshing the fleet of vehicles. In September this year, we brought a new fleet of 30 zero-emission electric single-decker buses into operation in a £14m investment, and we continue to work to reduce the average age of the fleet."