‘Runaway’ bus driver suspended
Two injured in city centre pile-up
THE driver of a bus which careered out of control in Glasgow city centre, injuring pedestrians, has been suspended amid claims that he may have parked the vehicle without securing the handbrake.
Eyewitnesses described seeing the driver chasing after the “runaway” First Bus as it hurtled down the city’s Renfield Street yesterday afternoon, minutes after he stopped to buy a drink at a nearby shop.
The empty vehicle crashed into stationary traffic and left two male bystanders requiring hospital treatment. Their injuries are not believed to be serious.
The double-decker struck two buses and a parked car as it travelled some 300ft, shunting one of the vehicles into a collision with a third bus.
First Bus said the driver has been suspended pending an investigation but said it was “too early to speculate” on the cause of the incident.
A BUS driver whose “runaway” vehicle sparked panic when it careered down a street in Glasgow city centre as he stopped to buy a drink has been suspended pending an investigation.
Two pedestrians were injured when the deserted First Bus crashed into stationary traffic after travelling 300 feet along Renfield Street in Glasgow with “the driver chasing after it”.
It has been claimed the bus driver stepped into a newsagent to quench his thirst before he realised he had not secured the handbrake.
None of the injuries sustained by pedestrians caught up in the crash are believed to be serious.
Shop worker Ali Hafiz, who was manning the cash register at RF news on Renfield Street, said the bus driver had been in the newsagents for around several minutes before rushing out.
“[The driver] was in my shop for a good two minutes before he realised he’d left the handbrake off,” he said.
“He had already been in Greggs, like a lot of bus drivers do when they stop here.
“He rushed out as soon as he realised his bus was moving slowly down the hill but still crashed into the Stagecoach bus.”
One onlooker, Arran Watkins, managing director of AW Painters and Decorators, said: “When a bus stops it normally makes a hissing noise and then it lowers itself, but in this case, the bus didn’t do that.
“The driver ran into a newsagents and the bus started rolling down the hill.
“He chased after it, but the bus hit a blue Renault Twingo which was then smashed forward and hit a pedestrian.
“Another pedestrian gave him first aid and then the emergency services turned up.”
First Bus bosses have said it is “too early to speculate” on the cause of the incident and have now launched an investigation.
A First Glasgow spokesman said: “We can confirm that a First Glasgow vehicle was involved in an incident on Renfield Street this afternoon. Our thoughts at this time are with the two men who were injured.”
But they confirmed the driver had been suspended. “As per our procedures the driver concerned has been relieved of his duties while we undertake a detailed investigation,” said the spokesman
Hundreds of people were in the city centre enjoying the bank holiday Monday in warm weather.
A number of city-centre streets were already closed due to filming for Trainspotting 2, leading to heavy congestion in the area prior to the incident.
A police spokeswoman said officers are reviewing CCTV and have appealed for information about the incident.
She said: “Around 3.45pm police received a report of a bus apparently travelling south on Renfield Street having collided with a stationary car at traffic lights at West George Street. The car moved forward and struck a pedestrian on Renfield Street. The bus continued to travel on Renfield Street before it collided with a stationary bus near to St Vincent Street, which then nudged into another stationary bus on Renfield Street. Two men have been taken to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment.”