Perth’s gas buses safe - PTA

by Wilfred Lui

April 22, 2008

PERTH bus commuters can rest easy, says the Public Transport Authority, because gas cylinders used in buses here are different to those used in Brisbane where a cylinder exploded on a gas-powered bus last week.

The accident Brisbane explosion injured two men and raised concerns over the safety of the buses. Brisbane City Council has since pulled 30 buses off the road for inspection.

However, the PTA has assured Perth commuters their gas-powered buses are safe because they use different gas cylinders to the Brisbane buses.

“Over here, we use the Type 2 gas cylinders, while Brisbane uses the Type 4 gas cylinder,” media spokesman David Hynes said.

He added safety inspections were done regularly, and no major incidents had occurred with Perth’s gas buses.

“Checks are done on a regular basis”, he said. “So far, no bus passenger has died on our buses.”

About half of Perth’s 1100 buses are gas powered, and there are plans to gradually convert the entire fleet from liquid fuels. Gas powered buses are cleaner and more environmental friendly.

 “We will watch with interest what happens in Brisbane but at this point there is no need to be concerned”, Mr Hynes said.

eMU news called Scania, the manufacturer of the exploded vehicle, but their Perth based representative declined comment, due to limited information of the issue.