A bus driver was taken to hospital and several others reported feeling sick from noxious smells in new TransLink buses Thursday.
The entire fleet of 26 new community shuttles was grounded yesterday as a safety measure.
“There were some operators that complained of some headaches and as a precaution we did have an operator that was taken to hospital. Safety is our main priority and we’re not going to fool around with that,” TransLink spokesman Derek Zabel said.
Bus service was affected along 14 routes in the communities of Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge Thursday night.
TransLink replaced the shuttles with spare buses and redirected some from other routes to allow transit to run normally.
Engineers and maintenance crews are inspecting the buses to find the root of the problem.
The 24-passenger community shuttles all passed rigorous provincial testing when they were bought, TransLink said.
Zabel said there were other mechanical complaints about the buses prior to the mysterious smells, but the buses weren't pulled until there was a concern for driver and passenger safety.
“We won’t put those buses back in service until we leave no stone unturned and we make sure that these buses are safe for our customers and our employees,” Zabel said.
