End of April, RATP a 149 Bolloré electric bus withdrawn from circulation after a fire. The second touching this model in a few weeks in Paris. Since then, the Bluebus teams have been trying to identify the problem. And “very likely”, they got there, said Wednesday the CEO of the group, Cyrille Bolloré. This statement was made at the general meeting of shareholders. He specifies: “We have most likely identified the root cause and sent letters to our customers. »
On April 29, a Bluebus caught fire in the 13th arrondissement of the capital, while previously another fire had affected a Bolloré electric bus, in the 5th arrondissement. According to the first results of the investigation carried out by Bluebus, the main problem would not come from an “electrochemical defect” but “perhaps from the assembly of an electronic component on a given series”, indicated Cyrille Bollore.
“Principle of absolute precaution” at Ile-de-France Mobilités
“We will not be satisfied with this announcement”, reacted the general manager of Ile-de-France Mobilités, Laurent Probst. “These buses will only be put back into circulation after the independent investigation that we have launched” with the RATP. “We apply an absolute precautionary principle,” he stressed.
However, the management “has no elements to confirm the origin of the fire”, adding that the investigations it launched with Ile-de-France Mobilités after the fires “are still in progress”. It will take a complete expertise explaining the causes of the incidents as well as an action plan to put the 149 buses back in circulation, she specifies.