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Two buses on fire underline poor state of Rome's public transport  

Xinhua,May 09, 2018 Adjust font size:

ROME, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Two buses operated by local transport company ATAC in the Italian capital caught fire on Tuesday, putting a spotlight on the poor state of the city's public transport.

The number of buses caught by flames here rose to 10 since the start of the year, considering this latest double episode. There had been at least 22 such incidents in 2017, and 14 in 2016.

The first bus caught fire in a large street of the historic centre in mid-morning, only few hundred meters from several tourist attractions and the government building. Some of the vehicle's tires exploded soon after, sending people into panic for a short while.

Yet, all passengers were evacuated by the driver as soon as flames developed at the back of the bus, and none of them were injured. A woman who was near the spot when the explosion occurred suffered from light burns, Ansa news agency reported.

At around 1.30 p.m. local time, a second bus usually serving schools in the southwest outskirt of the capital caught fire as well. As in the first case, driver and passengers escaped the flames and reported no wounds.

Preliminary reports by local police and fire department suggested the first incident was triggered by a short circuit in the electrical system of the bus, which was 15 years old, according to ATAC.

An electrical or mechanical failure was suspected in the second incident as well, although no preliminary findings were immediately revealed.

Prosecutors opened an inquiry into the incident, and the public transport company announced an investigation as well.

Most media reports and comments on social media pointed the finger at ATAC's old fleet of buses and trams. In fact, the local company has long been affected by mismanagement, cronyism, and consequent lack of funds to keep its fleet in good maintenance.

Furthermore, it was engulfed in debts, which amounted to 1.3 billion euros (1.54 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2016, Rome's mobility councillor said in October.

ATAC has so far tried to avoid bankruptcy be declared, and in a last effort asked judicial authorities permission to undergo -- under specific conditions -- a composition with major creditors, which include Rome municipality. A local court was expected to give its final say to the request by the end of May. Enditem

 

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