NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE
SAFETY AND SECURITY NEWSLETTER

• Indicate common causes for the fires (for example, electrical or hydraulic systems)
• Reveal patterns (for example, the makes or models of buses involved)
• Provide a history of how past incidents were handled (for example, "Put out by the fire suppression system," "Called in to control center")
• Suggest solutions and preventative measures (for example, "changed maintenance procedures").

Bus fires are a serious problem: they cause safety, financial, and service problems for transit agencies. In addition, bus fires often are reported by local news agencies, which can negatively affect ridership. Complete and accurate reporting of bus fires will help reveal their causes, so future fires can be prevented. (see sidebar for specific examples)

The NTD Program Administrator has noted some confusion over how bus fires are reported. This article will clarify some of the reporting issues concerning bus fires.

The FTA definition of a fire is as follows: "Uncontrolled combustion made evident by flame and/or smoke that requires suppression by equipment or personnel...Arsons are not reported as fires, but as security incidents."

The data collected in the NTD could be very useful for investigators trying to determine the causes of bus fires. Unfortunately, many participating agencies appear not to be reporting fires completely, and the information in the database often does not adequately describe those fires that are reported.

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