For safety reasons and as a precautionary measure, RATP had withdrawn its Bluebuses from circulation. After two years of immobilization, these electric buses are returning to service.
Means of transport evolve at the same time as new technologies, and after electric cars, buses can also run without polluting. But sometimes, certain unexpected incidents call into question their use. This is what happened with the Bluebuses, 100% electric buses which were withdrawn from circulation for a period of two years, as a precautionary measure.
And for good reason, this decision taken by RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) on April 29, 2022 follows two fires which occurred on vehicles of the same model, just three weeks apart. Fortunately, no one was injured, but these incidents raised many questions about the safety of the Bluebus.
For two years, experts have carried out technical investigations and corrective work has been carried out in Quimper, in the Finistère factories. The land transport accident investigation office (BEA-TT) should submit its final report in mid-2024 to determine the origin of these fires. Certain hypotheses have been put forward, such as poor positioning of the insulating film between the battery packs.
Following these in-depth studies, representatives of IDFM, RATP and Blue Solutions ensure that these electric buses are now reliable again. “We have recalled all suspect battery packs. We have developed new insulation installation processes. The security alert system on the dashboard (warning light and audible alarm) has been doubled to so that the machinists can carry out rapid evacuations in the event of a problem and we have installed formwork around the battery packs which has a delaying effect”, specified the Bluebus representative, as reported by Le Parisien.
This Monday, April 15, 2024, a first Bluebus series 5SE was put back into circulation, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, on line 20 linking Porte des Lilas to Levallois. In total, 148 Bluebuses from the Blue Solutions company (a subsidiary of the Bolloré group) should soon return to service, and 82 other vehicles ordered will soon be delivered. The objective: to deploy all Bluebuses before the Summer Olympic Games at the end of July.