There were no mechanical problems with the city transit bus that crashed into two backyards in Heritage Lakes on Tuesday night, confirms RCMP.
The findings of the investigation done by St. Albert Transit earlier this week under the observation of a third party from the City of Edmonton were shared with the RCMP, said director of St. Albert Transit Bob McDonald.
Police are still investigating the cause of the collision. Road and weather do not appear to be factors.
The Route A2 bus was travelling on Heritage Drive near Haviland Crescent when it drove off the road and collided with a residential fence and a shed around 6 p.m. on Sept. 30.
The bus continued through that home's backyard pushing an empty trampoline in front of it and broke through another fence. It then collided with the back deck of a second house and came to a stop.
No one was in the first house at the time of the collision. Two adults and two children were in the second home but did not suffer any physical injuries.
The driver of the bus suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. He was discharged Wednesday morning.
No passengers were on the bus, although it was in service at the time.
The bus driver is an employee of Diversified Transportation Ltd. The city contracts out transit bus operations, including drivers, dispatchers, inspectors and training to Diversified, said McDonald.
The driver has been on paid leave since the collision, he said.
The city is working with the homeowners whose residences were damaged to determine cost of damage and clean up, said Glenn Tompolski, general manager of St. Albert Transit.
“We regret the damage caused to the residents’ yards and are thankful nobody was injured,” he said in a press release Wednesday.
Under the provincial commercial vehicle inspection program, inspections into all safety equipment on buses – including brakes, suspension and steering – are required every six months. Vehicles in the St. Albert Transit fleet are inspected every 3,000 kilometres, or about every month.
