RATP, the public transport operator in Paris, has temporarily withdrawn 149 electric buses made by Bolloré Group’s Bluebus brand from operation after two separate bus fires.
On April 29, a fire broke out on a Bluebus 5SE electric bus on line 71 in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, close to the French capital's national library. The driver immediately evacuated the passengers and no injuries were reported.
Fortunately, the fire department responded very quickly, with around 30 firefighters managing to put out the blaze. The François Mitterrand Library station, located nearby, was closed from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. as a safety measure. The electric bus released thick clouds of black smoke and a strong smell of burning plastic, according to eyewitnesses interviewed by BFMTV.
