The mayor of Venice has ordered an immediate stop to electric buses operated by La Linea after two crashes involving its vehicles – one of which led to the deaths of 21 people.
A La Linea bus crashed into a building yesterday evening in Mestre, a borough of Venice, injuring 15 people.
No one on board suffered serious injuries, according to authorities.
That incident came after a bus driver and 20 tourists were killed on 3 October when a La Linea vehicle fell from an elevated street near Venice, crashing close to railway tracks and catching fire.
Firefighters inspect the overpass where a coach crashed off in Mestre, near Venice, on 3 October
After the fatal crash, Italy’s transport minister questioned the use of electric vehicle technology in buses like La Linea’s, adding that the deaths should be a “cause for reflection”.
Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro initially said the tragedy, which he described as an “apocalyptic scene”, did not provoke a rethink of the city’s plan to expand the fleet of electric-powered buses.
But in an announcement today on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Brugnaro said: “Yesterday evening a second accident occurred involving a La Linea vehicle, an electric bus.
“Being of the same type as the one involved in the flyover accident on 3 October, it was decided to suspend the service of all electric buses of this company to carry out an adequate investigation.”
A view of the site where a coach crashed off an overpass in Mestre, Italy, 4 October, 2023
He added: “In the meantime, my thoughts turn to the injured, among whom, fortunately, none are in serious conditions.
“The competent authorities will understand the reason for this accident, which did not have serious consequences for people.”
The mayor added the suspension now seemed “absolutely necessary”.
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CCTV of deadly coach disaster
Prior to the second crash, Mr Brugnaro said the tragedy on 3 October had “nothing to do with the fact that it [the bus] is electric”.
Mr Brugnaro described the crash as a “terrible tragedy” at the time, adding: “I immediately ordered the city to go into mourning, in memory of the many victims who were in the crashed bus.”
