AN INVESTIGATION is under way into what caused an accident on the guided busway which resulted in passengers being thrown from their seats.

The Stagecoach single-decker, the only vehicle thought to be involved, was heading towards Cambridge when it was forced to stop near Cambridge Regional College at 10.15am last Monday (April 8).

The investigation into what happened has been delayed because of problems with the bus’s CCTV.

Among those on board was Erica Favell, of Megs Close, Bluntisham, who had joined the bus at St Ives with her daughter and four grandchildren.

She said: “The bus clonked, shrieked and lurched – a lady at the front was thrown to the floor, one of my grandsons was thrown to the floor and hit his ribs, and the other grandson banged his head on the metal rail and was in tears. Two ladies at the rear of the bus were hurt but the worst casualty was the lady sitting near the step to the back seat – she was thrown from her seat, on to the step, on to her ribs and back.”

She said the driver had been shaken by what had happened.

“He kept walking up and down the bus talking on his mobile phone. First he said he needed to take our details, then he told us all to get on another bus.”

Stagecoach East managing director Andy Campbell said his driver, who had been interviewed about what happened, followed the correct procedure.

“He called the depot and we sent our leading driver and contacted paramedics. They treated an elderly couple and a young girl, none of whom went to hospital.

“Another lady got on another bus and then felt unwell, so that bus was stopped and paramedics attended.”

He said there was an issue with the bus’s CCTV.

“We’ve had to send the hard drive back to the manufacturer,” he said.

“So I cannot give details about what happened. If the lady suffered injuries, we apologise for that. But looking at the number of people who travel on the busway, it has a good safety record.”

He said there had been two accidents since it opened in August 2011, both due to driver error, both of whom were no longer employed by the company.

Seatbelts were not fitted to public service vehicles, he said. “It would be impossible for the driver to ensure everyone was wearing them.”