Fire-prone London buses withdrawn from service

London's fleet of new, single-decker "bendy" buses was withdrawn from service today after a series of engine fires in recent …

London's fleet of new, single-decker "bendy" buses was withdrawn from service today after a series of engine fires in recent weeks.

Transport for London (TfL) said 120 articulated and single-length buses were withdrawn, out of the capital's total 8,000 buses.

"Most of the routes which these buses run will have replacement vehicles," a TfL spokesman said.

No passengers have been hurt in the fires, the most dramatic of which happened on Saturday in the capital's upscale Park Lane, which resulted in a bus being entirely gutted.

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The manufacturer of the Citaro buses, EvoBus, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, was not immediately available for comment.

The introduction about 18 months ago of the bendy buses, which cost upwards of 200,000 pounds each, was spearheaded by London's mayor, Mr Ken Livingstone, who wants more buses to help ease congestion on the city's streets.