Stagecoach Devon bus company negligent and dangerous, report finds

Passengers were cut out of the overturned bus in October 2019

A bus company "ran a service that was dangerous to the public" at the time one of its vehicles crashed, injuring 37 people, a report has found.

A traffic commissioner investigated Stagecoach Devon Ltd after the double decker crashed into a field near Totnes in October 2019.

The report found the company "failed to comply with its own procedures".

Stagecoach South West said: "The safety of our customers, our employees, and others is our absolute priority."

The traffic commissioner for the west of England, Kevin Rooney, found the driver was aged 19 with 25 hours driving experience and was not sufficiently trained.

The driver Kameron Allan admitted driving without due care and attention at court last year, receiving a fine and driving ban.

The bus overturned and ended up in a field by the side of the road

He had been distracted when his high-viz jacket, which was hanging behind him, started to blow out of the window.

"In turning to secure the garment, Mr Allan lost control of the vehicle which then overturned into a field", the report said.

Mr Allan was a bus enthusiast who was keen to gain his Passenger Driving Licence (PDL) as soon as possible, and did so in July 2019.

On 5 October, he was allocated a Gold route that was unsuitable for a driver of his experience, and it was during this journey the accident happened.

The traffic commissioner's report said: "I make a finding that, more likely than not, Stagecoach Devon Ltd ran a service that was dangerous to the public.

"I make that finding because it failed to comply with its own driver training procedures and Kameron Allan was not provided with the follow-up support and mentoring that the company's own procedures said he should get. He was allocated a duty for which he had not been trained. "

Emergency services declared a major incident at the crash scene

The report was also critical of the company for not providing suitable witnesses to the hearing, and not notifying the conviction of Kameron Allan within 28 days.

It added that the "situation which allowed Kameron Allan to be driving was negligent and was likely to have increased significantly the road safety risk".

A Stagecoach South West spokesperson said: "We sincerely regret the individual actions which led to the accident in 2019 and our thoughts remain with those affected.

"Senior past and present company executives have assisted extensively the inquiry's consideration of the issues involved, and we will continue to follow that constructive approach."

It added: "Our management and frontline teams are working hard in the face of very challenging circumstances facing the bus sector, and they remain committed to doing their very best for our local communities."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].