An electric double-decker bus caught fire in the southwest section of London, Wimbledon, last week. Credit: @Ben423952659513 on X via Storyful
An electric double-decker bus caught fire in southwest London on Thursday, prompting the city’s transportation agency to remove a fleet from service as a precaution while the incident is investigated, according to reports.
Passengers on the bus in Wimbledon during rush hour had to be evacuated, but no injuries were reported, according to BBC News. Video of the incident show flames and smoke engulfing an apparent rear section of the bus.
“Safety is our top priority and we are working with the operator, London General, and the bus manufacturer, Switch, to investigate what happened,” Transport for London’s head of business development Tom Cunnington said in a statement, the BBC reported.
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London’s double-decker buses are iconic. (Benedikt von Imhoff/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Cunnington added that London’s buses are safe to use, according to the Guardian.
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The bus caught fire in Wimbledon on Thursday. (@Ben423952659513 on X via Storyful / Fox News)
“Other buses in the fleet remain in service and TfL and bus operators will not hesitate to take further action if required to ensure the network remains safe,” he said.
Go-Ahead London told the BBC it has “withdrawn the vehicle type in question.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Transport for London for comment.
On Friday, a hybrid double-decker bus caught fire in an unrelated incident in North Woolwich in east London.
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“London’s bus network remains safe to use and we have no reason to suspect that this fire on a hybrid bus was linked to an earlier incident on an electric bus in Wimbledon,” Cunnington added.
