Bus company suspends fleet
AUCKLAND: Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) Ltd has voluntarily suspended its bus fleet after an urgent audit carried out by the NZ Transport Agency.
It says it is outsourcing its transport to continue to ferry skiers up the mountain.
The company’s fleet was assessed after one of its buses crashed with 31 passengers on board, killing one and injuring 18.
Hannah Francis (11), of Auckland, died and others suffered a variety of injuries.
NZTA director transport access and delivery Robert Brodnax said RAL had voluntarily suspended its bus operations following the vehicle inspections carried out on Wednesday.
Independent of the policeled investigation of Saturday’s crash, the NZTA is carrying out an investigation of RAL’s transport operations, which includes a full review of the company’s Transport Service
Licence.
No further comment can be provided on the inspections or on Saturday’s crash while the police investigation, which is being assisted by the NZTA, is ongoing.
The company’s chief executive, Ross Copland, said it had elected to outsource its transport and suspend its own transport service.
Contractors had been called in to continue transporting visitors to the ski areas during the height of the season, he said.
He clarified reports that the truck involved in the crash had its odometer tampered with and that its certificate of fitness was out of date.
‘‘RAL can confirm that the bus involved in the accident had a COF issued just 58 days prior on 31 May, valid until 30 November 2018. The COF did not expire on the day of the accident; minimum COF duration means this is an impossibility.
‘‘RAL has been advised it is standard practice for COFs to be cancelled after accidents of this nature. In addition, RAL records for this vehicle show no evidence of unusual or decreasing odometer readings.’’
He now urged passengers to whom the company had not already spoken to contact it directly.
‘‘Our priority this week has been connecting with everyone on that bus. However, privacy restrictions have made this a challenge. We would like to ensure that passengers are on the road to recovery, well supported and also keep them updated with the investigation that’s under way,’’ he said.
‘‘We have spoken to, and met with, a number of passengers already, but as we were unable to collect passenger details at the scene of the accident, I would greatly appreciate any passengers we haven’t already managed to reach contacting us directly.’’ — NZME