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Buses often combine high occupancy loads, limited pathways for egress, and the involvement of passengers with limited mobility. In the event of a fire, the potential for passenger injury and loss of life is significant. Additionally, there can be substantial financial losses due to equipment loss and service interruption. In order to prevent future occurrences, it is critical to thoroughly investigate bus fires and develop an understanding of their causes. The causes of non-arson bus fires typically can be categorized as electrical, friction at the wheel level, or engine component failures. This paper examines actual fire occurrences, their root cause investigation, and the measures that were taken to prevent future incidents.

In recent years it seems we have been continuously bombarded by research and popular press articles dealing with the dangers of driver distraction, particularly that resulting from the use of cell phones or other telematic systems while behind the wheel. Based on the volume and vitriolic nature of these articles, one would suppose that the U.S. was undergoing a dramatic increase in the number of accidents on our roadways, largely as a function of operators focusing on these devices, rather than on the road. In reality, the opposite is true. Fifty years worth of vigilance research suggests that our entire perspective on the “driver distraction” problem may be incorrect. It is possible that we are fixating on the result of a problem, rather than on a problem cause. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that high workload levels negatively affect performance; what is less well-recognized is that too low of a workload level has virtually the same impact.