The alarming danger of electric scooters on buses is revealed in this report, "a hardly tolerable risk"
A technical report uncovers the alarming danger posed by electric scooters on electric buses, stating that they represent "a hardly tolerable risk." A possible ban on electric scooters on this public transport is being considered.
"It represents a hardly tolerable risk." This is the conclusion reached by a technical report analyzing the risk associated with transporting electric scooters on buses. More specifically, on buses with fully electric mechanics. After more than a year of temporary bans, this is the conclusion reached by the aforementioned report commissioned by the municipal company TUVISA of the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The municipal company will make a definitive decision regarding whether to permanently ban the entry of electric VMPs on buses or, on the contrary, lift the temporary ban that has been in place. The technical report reveals what the risks posed by VMP batteries are when accessing public transport, and more specifically, electric buses.
The risk of transporting an electric scooter on a bus
"The transportation of electric scooters on public buses represents a hardly tolerable risk for the safety of passengers and transport personnel," states the report, specifying that one of the most relevant risks of electric scooters is fires. The batteries present "a significant risk due to their high energy density and susceptibility to thermal failures," it indicates.
Fires in batteries can have different origins, but in any case, there is a risk of propagation, and there is also a significant difficulty in extinguishing them.
It should be noted that 25% of TUVISA's bus fleet is fully electric, so according to the technical report, "there is a high risk that the fire could spread to the high-voltage batteries of the urban vehicle itself".
The fire of an electric scooter inside a bus
If a fire occurs in an electric scooter battery inside a bus, there is a risk of it causing a fatal accident since, as the report points out, the interior of a bus is a closed space, with low ventilation, and there is also the danger of blocking emergency exits.
"The prohibition of transporting electric scooters on buses is recommended." This is the final conclusion reached in the technical report. A ban that, if enacted and made permanent, opens the door for it to be "a precedent" and for similar measures to be taken in many other municipal public transport companies.