The Ministry of Transport decided on Thursday to immediately ground 11 buses of a specific model belonging to the Paphos Transport Organisation (OSYPA) following a fresh bus fire early on Wednesday.
The decision, made after an internal meeting, grounds all buses of that particular type, each with a capacity of 90 passengers, which serve approximately 1,000 residents daily in the Paphos district. Authorities deemed the temporary grounding necessary for prevention and safety reasons, acknowledging it will likely cause service disruptions.
The order came just hours after a bus belonging to OSYPA caught fire shortly after midnight on Wednesday in the Tombs of the Kings area of Paphos. The bus, which was not carrying passengers, was engulfed in flames while parked after its shift ended.
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The Fire Service was alerted at 00:49 local time and brought the blaze under control by 01:08, though the rear of the vehicle sustained extensive damage. Initial assessments by the Mechanical and Electrical Services indicated an electrical fault as the likely cause.
This is reportedly the sixth fire incident involving a bus of the same model over the past three years, with two occurring in the last two months and one in November 2023.
A preliminary finding from the Ministry of Transport meeting suggested that the recurring problems may stem from inadequate maintenance rather than a flaw in the vehicle’s design or type.
Consequently, an international expert who conducted checks in late October is scheduled to return to Cyprus over the weekend. The specialist will re-examine the buses in Paphos as well as similar vehicles acquired by the contractor in the Famagusta Free Area.
Depending on the expert’s findings, accountability will be assigned either to the manufacturer, should a design flaw be identified, or to the contractor if insufficient maintenance is substantiated.
The grounding of the 11 Paphos buses is expected to cause temporary delays and inconvenience for the travelling public, especially during peak hours. Nevertheless, the Ministry stressed that “the safety of citizens is non-negotiable.”
The grounded buses will only return to service once their complete suitability has been confirmed, while additional measures to strengthen maintenance checks across all public passenger transport are already under consideration.
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