All other London electric buses of the same model that burst into flames in Wimbledon yesterday will remain in service despite growing safety concerns.
A huge blast ripped off the back of an Optare Metrodecker 1050 bus travelling from Mitcham to Raynes Park in South West London, with three fire engines and 15 firefighters scrambled to the scene during the school run at about 7.20am.
It comes nearly two years after all Metrodeckers were temporarily taken out of service for safety checks in May 2022 when two were involved in a fire at Potters Bar bus garage in Hertfordshire – before being returned to service days later.
More than 80 Metrodecker buses operate on eight London routes around the capital – the others being the numbers 23, 28, 134, 295, 317, 626 and N28.
Now, the City Hall Conservatives have called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to withdraw all the buses until the cause of the Wimbledon blaze is known.
But Transport for London (TfL), which has about 1,000 electric buses across its network, said it will not withdraw any Metrodeckers and has insisted they are safe.
A TfL spokeswoman told : ‘London’s bus network remains safe to use and other buses in the fleet remain in service. TfL and bus operators will not hesitate to take action if required to ensure the network remains safe.’
While firefighters continue to investigate the cause, fire expert Neil Pederson said it was most likely due to an electrical fault and not linked to lithium batteries.
It comes as Mr Khan faced calls to launch a ‘full and urgent investigation’ into the double decker explosion as he ploughs ahead with his stated ambition to make the capital’s entire bus fleet ‘zero-emission’ by 2034.
But yesterday’s incident was just the latest example of safety faults with electric vehicles – which were the fastest growing cause of fires in the capital last year, according to the London Fire Brigade. In 2023 there were 150 e-bike fires in London, along with 28 e-scooter fires, which was 53 per cent more than in 2022.
Two Optare Metrodecker 1050 London electric buses were involved in a major fire at Potters Bar bus garage in Hertfordshire on May 22, 2022 (above) – which destroyed a total of six buses
The electric double decker bus burst into flames yesterday in Wimbledon, South West London
Emergency services respond to the bus fire yesterday in Wimbledon, South West London
City Hall Conservatives transport spokesman Keith Prince told today: ‘We’re calling on Sadiq Khan to withdraw these buses until the cause of the Wimbledon bus fire is understood.
‘We’re also calling for urgent checks on the remaining electric buses in the fleet to ensure they are safe. Londoners need to have confidence that their bus is safe and won’t burst into flames.
‘Sadiq Khan must not compromise the safety of Londoners. We need action not words. Failure to act will tell Londoners that Sadiq Khan doesn’t care about safety.’
Speculating about the possible cause of the Wimbledon blaze was Mr Pederson, an experienced former firefighter who is now chief executive of Fire Containers.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s most likely that today’s electric vehicle bus fire in London was caused by an electrical fault and may not be linked to the lithium batteries if the fire started at the back of the bus.
‘This is because lithium batteries on electric buses are on the top of the front of the bus rather than the back. But as the sale of electric vehicles continues to increase, fires like these are only going to become more common.
‘On average it takes firefighters four hours to extinguish EV fires and this is because of their lithium batteries and on average costs £1million an hour each time traffic is held up because of a burning vehicle.’
The Metrodecker buses first began running in London on Metroline’s route 134 from North Finchley to Tottenham Court Road in 2019 when 31 were delivered.
A further 37 were delivered to Tower Transit in 2020 for route 23 from Westbourne Park to Aldwych, and route C3 from Clapham Junction to Earls Court.
Go-Ahead London then ordered 17 in 2021 for route 200 which now operate from Merton bus garage.
While Metrodecker buses no longer operate on the C3 route – which now employs the Wright Electroliner – they are now used across a total of eight routes.
In addition to the 23, 134 and 200, Metrodeckers can be found on the 28 from Wandsworth to Kensal Rise; 295 from Clapham Junction to Ladbroke Grove; 317 from Enfield to Waltham Cross; 626 from Finchley Central to Potters Bar; and the N28 from Wandsworth to Camden Town.
City Hall Conservatives transport spokesman Keith Prince wrote to Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday
The smoldering bus with a charred back window on Wimbledon Hill Road yesterday morning
Yesterday, Mr Prince told that fire was ‘very concerning’, saying: ‘We are very fortunate there were no injuries or worse. This is not the first fire involving this particular type of electric bus. I have asked Sadiq Khan to ensure there is a full and urgent investigation to determine the cause of the fire.’
Mayor Sadiq Khan is pushing for London to have a fully zero-emission fleet by 2034
He added that with more than 80 similar buses in use across London, ‘we need to ensure these buses are safe’.
The blaze in Potters Bar on May 22, 2022 saw a total of six buses burn and prompted other bus operators to move vehicles from alternative garages in London to serve the impacted routes.
Metrodeckers were also withdrawn from York where they operated a park and ride route run by First after 21 vehicles were ordered in a £9.3million deal in 2020.
But the buses in London and York were all back on the road just days later, when Transport for London (TfL) confirmed on June 1 that Switch Mobility had swiftly completed its ‘thorough investigation’ and had given assurances that every vehicle was ‘safe to return to service’.
Three weeks later on June 23, Mr Prince asked Sadiq Khan for copies of any communication between TfL and bus operators regarding with the withdrawal.
But the Mayor said in response at the time: ‘Owing to the urgency of the situation, discussions with Switch Mobility and the bus operators regarding the withdrawal of the Metrodecker EV buses from service were carried out via conference call and telephone.’
Police said there were no injuries but urged people to avoid the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
Firefighters continue to put out the blaze yesterday in Wimbledon, South West London
The smoldering bus with a charred back window on Wimbledon Hill Road yesterday
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat deputy chair of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, also asked a question about the financial implication to TfL of the buses being withdrawn.
And Mr Khan said at the time: ‘Transport for London did not bear any operational cost for the withdrawal of these vehicles.
‘Mileage lost due to the withdrawal was deducted from the bus operator payments, using the standard route-level deduction process. Replacement vehicles were used, which minimised the impact on service performance, customers and lost revenue.’
In a later response to Mr Prince on June 28, 2022, Mr Khan said: ‘TfL contacted the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the agency of the Department for Transport which acts as Vehicle Safety regulator, on the morning of May 23, to provide it with details of the incident to expedite its own investigations.
‘Switch presented the findings of its investigation to TfL on the morning of May 25, where TfL accepted the evidence that a conductive coolant was inadvertently added to the battery coolant system that was only designed to be used with a non-conductive substance.
‘TfL and the DVSA received the case for continued safe operation on the afternoon of May 26 and were satisfied that appropriate mitigation measures were in place for the buses to return to service.’
Now, TfL is urgently investigating the cause of the Wimbledon blaze with bus operator London General, which is a subsidiary brand of Go-Ahead London.
Astonishing video showed fire crews battling to put out the inferno after three fire engines and 15 firefighters raced to the scene at about 7.20am this morning.
Clouds of smoke billowed from the bus as commuters headed to the office and children were on the school run, with firefighters setting up an 80ft (25m) cordon.
Tom Cunnington, TfL’s head of buses business development, told : ‘Safety is our top priority and we are working with the operator, London General, and the bus manufacturer, Switch, to investigate what happened.
‘The bus was quickly evacuated and there are no reported injuries.’
The cause of the fire is not yet known, and Mr Khan has also been contacted for comment.
The bus manufacturer Switch Mobility is a British firm based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, which is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. has contacted Switch Mobility for comment.
A Go-Ahead London spokesman said: ‘All passengers and our driver were safely evacuated and we are grateful to the emergency services for their prompt response.
‘The company is working with relevant authorities to establish the facts.’
Police confirmed there were no injuries in the Wimbledon blaze but urged motorists to avoid the area.
The bus fire in Wimbledon yesterday led to firefighters setting up an 80ft (25m) cordon
The blackened rear of the bus is seen yesterday as it is towed away after the blaze in Wimbledon
The electric bus which caught fire yesterday morning in Wimbledon is towed away
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
Witness Amy Foster, who works opposite the bus stop for data consultancy firm Rockborne, told : ‘The response was very fast by the emergency services.
‘The fire crew started to tackle the blaze at the back of bus where the fire was burning very aggressively – it blew out the back of the bus at the bottom and top.
‘It took a long time for them to get it under control with flames flying out the back of the bus that often had a blue hue to them. The smoke was really thick and blew down the high street.
‘The fire crews put out the flames but continued to soak the battery at the back of the bus for another hour or so due to it overheating and regularly were using a heat gun to check its temperature. Very glad no one was hurt.’
Another witness, Roderick Cameron, tweeted a photo of the flames and said: ‘Not what we expect to see on the school run. Bus on fire – and the fumes are awful.’
Several buildings in Wimbledon town centre were also evacuated by police during the fire, with dozens of commuters forced to wait until late morning before they could access their workplace.
Meanwhile, local residents were woken to police officers knocking on their doors to evacuate them and workers cowered in the backs of shops, fearing an almighty explosion.
Though the smell of burning tarmac and rubber still lingered in the area yesterday afternoon, the only evidence that remained of the charred bus was the blackened road outside the Stop R bus stop on Wimbledon Hill Road.
The bus was removed at around 11am, with the road finally reopening around 15 minutes later.
Priyank Patel, who works at the Post Office directly outside the bus stop where the double decker went up in flames, said he and his colleagues were told to move to the back of the store in case it exploded.
The 34-year-old told : ‘We didn’t hear anything at first – we were running the shop and were busy with customers. We didn’t know the bus had caught on fire, but one customer came in and said it had.
Firefighters established a cordon and are working at the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
Firefighters established a cordon and are working at the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
‘The fire was at the back of the bus. We thought it might explode and the police closed everything. We all stood at the back of the store in case it exploded. We were worried.
‘They reopened the road at about 11.15am and moved the bus about 11am. It was early in the morning so only people going to work saw it.’
The father-of-one added: ‘I was scared until the fire brigade came, because we were so worried about it exploding. It was scary.’
Restaurant workers at popular chains such as Wagamama eventually entered their places of work, noticing black ‘gunk’ on the pavement outside.
Dwayne Fountain was opening up at All Bar One when the fire happened across the street, and felt the heat of the lapping flames as he stepped outside to investigate.
‘I saw the road closed off on the CCTV,’ he said. ‘I was due a delivery but I couldn’t get it through. I went round to see what was going on – then I saw the fire.
‘The whole back bottom right of the bus was on fire. There were so many police cars and firemen. I could feel a bit of the heat, so it was quite strong.’
One local resident, whose flat overlooks Wimbledon Hill Road, said she began her day being woken up and evacuated by police officers.
The woman, who didn’t wish to give her name, said: ‘I heard a bit of noise outside… It was the police going round knocking everyone’s doors.
‘There wasn’t any certain danger, but there was concerns there could be an exacerbation. The police said it was just a precautionary evacuation.’
Firefighters established a cordon and are working at the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
Firefighters established a cordon and are working at the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
Many other nearby residents admitted they slept through the fire and only found out about it when they later awoke and checked the news or looked out of their windows.
Tom Cheetham, a 57-year-old Veolia worker who was due to clean the street, had to tell his boss he was unable to even get onto the road.
‘You don’t expect a bus to catch fire when you’re on it, do you?,’ Mr Cheetham said. ‘But I think this happens all the time in London. It’s all this new technology. I wasn’t able to get down here until about 11.30am because it was closed.’
The blaze on Alwyne Road led to Wimbledon Hill Road being partially blocked with congestion to Wimbledon Village southbound and to the Broadway northbound.
A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman told yesterday: ‘Firefighters have been called to a fire involving a bus on Wimbledon Hill Road in Wimbledon.
‘Part of a double-decker electric bus is alight. A 25-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution and road closures are in place. There are currently no reports of any injuries.
‘The Brigade was called at 7.21am. Three fire engines and around 15 firefighters from Wimbledon, New Malden and Wandsworth fire stations are at the scene.’
And a Scotland Yard spokeswoman told yesterday: ‘Police were called at 7.23am on Thursday, January 11 to reports of a bus on fire at Wimbledon Hill and Alwyne Road, SW19.
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
Emergency services are on the scene after the bus caught fire in Wimbledon yesterday
Firefighters established a cordon and are working at the scene in Wimbledon yesterday
‘Officers, London Fire Brigade attended. At the scene a bus had caught fire. Road closures and cordons are in place. We expect them to remain for some time.
‘There were no reported injuries. We thank the local community for their patience and cooperation as emergency services work at the scene. If possible please avoid the area.’
Earlier, the Merton Police account tweeted: ‘Please avoid the area of Wimbledon Hill Road this morning. There will be congestion as the road is blocked off in both south and northbound directions.’
Stephen Hammond, the Conservative MP for Wimbledon, tweeted: ‘Emergency services are dealing with an ongoing incident with a bus in Wimbledon Town Centre. Please be aware that journeys may take longer than usual.’
And Daniel Holden, Tory councillor and deputy leader of the Merton Conservative Group, tweeted: ‘Bus fire this morning in Hillside on Wimbledon Hill Road.
‘I hope no one was injured by this incident. @MPSMerton @LondonFire on the scene and that section of road has been closed. Buses and traffic are on diversion.’
* Witness the Wimbledon bus fire? Please email: [email protected] *