The hidden risks of public transport and what you can do if you're injured

Public transport is a unique mode of transport as you, the passenger, put your life in the hands of a total stranger, writes David Nellaney, Partner at Digby Brown.
What provides assurance is the knowledge that the person in control of the vehicle - be it a taxi, bus, ferry, plane or train - is a professional. They are trained, licensed and insured to a high standard to deliver a reliable and safe service.
Arguably, they should be safer than any other mode of transport as they are also more likely to be vigilant, follow speed limits more strictly, and handle the vehicle smoothly.
And yet, over the last year or so, it feels like there's been a rise in public transport accidents, especially bus and coach accidents.
In March this year, the M8 ground to a halt after a bus crashed near the junction 30 turn off at Bishopton.
In December 2024, there were two bus crashes within days of each other - and both involved low bridges.
The first saw a double-decker collide with a railway bridge on Cook Street in Glasgow, then five days later, another struck a low bridge on Culzean Crescent in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.
Both incidents left multiple people injured, many of whom needed hospital treatment.
In Paisley last year, five people were injured after a single-decker ploughed into a block of flats.
Similarly, homeowners in Airth near Falkirk were injured after a coach left the road and smashed into a row of houses.
To be fair, it's not just buses.
All modes of public transport have their risks, and as we've seen in the past, accidents can happen anywhere.
Last summer, Digby Brown settled claims for passengers of the ferry MV Alfred after it ran aground on an uninhabited island near Orkney.
We also helped Ayr man Stephen McIntyre after he was struck by a taxi that crossed into his side of the road.
And families affected by the Stonehaven rail disaster turned to Digby Brown for help where we recovered more than £1million for those affected.
Whether you are on a bus, taxi, train, ferry or plane, it is the duty of those in control of these modes of transport to ensure your safety.
We know professional drivers don't set out to injure people. But through our experience, the sad reality is that most crashes are the result of human error.
If a mechanical fault arises that impacts safety they should stop, not continue and hope for the best while hoping to deal with it later.
If there's torrential rain or wind, then those in charge should slow down or stop entirely - simply plodding on and blaming the bad weather if things go wrong isn't good enough.
This was confirmed in another legal win for Digby Brown when we helped 17 people recover compensation after their coach was blown over in high winds near Loch Lomond.
And when it comes to buses and low bridges… well, the driver is ultimately responsible for driving to the road conditions and responding to hazards that lie ahead. Blaming a sat nav or a route diversion is no excuse.
The precise circumstances of incidents are nearly always different, but what remains constant is that if you were injured as a result of someone else's negligence, then you have rights.
When you use public transport, you are a passenger in a vehicle, and other people are responsible for your safety.
So, with a public transport claim or passenger injury claim, a solicitor will look to recover all relevant details, just like any other accident claim:
Having as much information and evidence as possible helps build a clear, thorough and accurate picture that can strengthen your case and secure a fair result.

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The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

• The Herald Scotland

'Chaos' over five sidelined CalMac ferries & one that 'should be written off'

There are currently three ferries sidelined - with two more scheduled in the pipeline over the next month in the height of the summer season for Scotland's islands. And there are concerns that the spin off effect will lead to disruption to a major Gaelic festival. News that the 32-year-old CalMac veteran was sidelined indefinitely - after 17 months out of action for repairs - comes at the height of the summer season and coincided with protesters converging on the Scottish Parliament to protest over the uncertainty over the future of Ardrossan as a port for ferries. Users estimated hundreds of passengers have had to be diverted 15 miles to Troon to get on either MV Glen Sannox or MV Alfred to get to Brodick on Arran after CalMac took booking for the stricken MV Caledonian Isles. Buses have been brought in to operate between Ardrossan port and Troon port for foot passengers until further notice. MV Caledonian Isles (Image: NQ) Users have now been told that the £1m-a-month MV Alfred one of two vessels serving Arran will be sidelined between July 7 and July 21 for essential maintenance having had that overhaul previously delayed. There has been disquiet as Arran is reduced to a one-vessel service early on June 25 with staff needing mandatory training. But timetables for the sole vessel MV Glen Sannox are resulting in three journeys, described by one user group official as "completely inadequate". All of MV Alfred's three return sailings have been wiped out. READ MORE Past summer timetables have had 10 return journeys on the same day. Meanwhile CalMac's booking system has been shut for new booking and amendments. CalMac has told users it will be in touch with any impacted customers with a booking between June 25 to July 6 over disruptions. It has further emerged that another of the CalMac work horses 36-year-old MV Lord of the Isles which serves the South Uist which has been the subject of protest over cuts to services is to be taken out between July 9 and 11 for cylinder head works in Oban. MV Lord of the Isles (Image: .) For several years, South Uist has regularly been the victim of cuts due to ferry breakdowns and delays in annual maintenance which climaxed in losing their service completely for nearly the whole of June, 2023. And users have been told that 38-year-old MV Isle of Mull has been sidelined to install a Marine Evacuation System (MES) - after it had its capacity cut to 45 from due to safety concerns and is not scheduled to return till the end of June. The ferry has been supporting services around the Uists because of problems elsewhere in the system and John Daniel Peteranna of the South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) which started a major protest over service cuts in June 2023 said that MV Caledonian Isles should have been written off and that MV Alfred should have been bought. And he said that the work on Isle of Mull, which went out of service around May 23, would take three weeks but that that time has passed. CalMac denies saying it would take three weeks and that they are awaiting regulatory approval for it to resume normal operations as soon as possible "They never keep to plan, it is always late," he said. He said it is feared the departures would lash with one of the major island events with the Ceòlas Summer School celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, from 6th to 11th July. It emerged that 24-year-old MV Hebrides is to be removed from service on June 30 until July 3 to allow for inspection to her bow visor. Users were told that MV Alfred would be covering for its departure, but the uncertainty over MV Caledonian Isles has thrown a spanner in those works. Mr Peteranna said the Ceòlas Summer School event is a major Gaelic festival in Scotland and is internationally recognised as being significant for Gaelic language and culture. John Daniel Peteranna (Image: NQ) He said that it was feared the "risk posed by the removal of the Lord of the Isles from Lochboisdale for Ceòlas week is huge, causing major disruption for participants, tutors and the local businesses and community who rely on all our transport links to be fully operational". He said: "Ceòlas is a charitable organisation, and the possibility of this disruption causing participants to cancel their attendance, and the subsequent loss of confidence looking to the future could be extremely damaging. "The event is long-standing in the Uist calendar and is attended by many who travel to take part from all over the world." The cost of repairing 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles spiralled to be just £3m short of what Pentland Ferries spent to buy the emergency catamaran replacement MV Alfred that has been seen as a 'stalwart' performer on the Arran route. The £11m repair cost which is expected to rise is £2m more than a catamaran ferry available for £9m four years ago, which was rejected by Scottish Government-owned procuring and ferry owning company Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL). The rejected ferry was similar in design to MV Alfred which was chartered for a further five months to October help state-owned ferry operator CalMac cope with lifeline services across the Clyde and Hebrides network. MV Alfred (Image: Newsquest) So far the bill for chartering MV Alfred amounts to £22m - which is £8m more than it cost to buy. A ferry user group official said: "It is the height of the summer season, and even with MV Glen Sannox in the mix we have a chaotic period where nobody seems to know what is happening, when it will happen and how it will happen. "MV Caledonian Isles should have been written off because by the time you calculate the total cost of the repairs which is £11m and now rising, you could actually have bought an MV Alfred. "The problems with Caledonian Isles echo that of MV Hebridean Isles which has now been put out to pasture. "The chickens again come home to roost on the government failure to properly invest in our ferries." MV Hebridean Isles, which served Arran, was retired and scrapped at the end of last year after 38 years service after it required lengthy and costly repairs - including in 2023 when it was out of action for 10 months with repairs costing £2.5m. CalMac have told users: "Although we plan and prepare for multiple eventualities – this is not what we hoped for. Everyone at Caledonian MacBrayne is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles is not yet ready to carry passengers. "This is keenly felt by our team, and we know that will be the case for customers and communities – especially so close to her planned return to service. We continue to work closely with the gearbox manufacturer onsite. Thank you to the communities and customers for your patience while we work at pace to resolve this further issue – and to return her to service." A £97m ferry contract to build two ferries at the Inverclyde shipyard firm Ferguson Marine, owned then by the Scots tycoon and entrepreneur Jim McColl got approval a decade ago. The Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries were due to start taking passengers in the first half of 2018 with both eventually to serve Arran but have run seven years or more late with costs expected rise more than five fold the original £97m contract. Glen Sannox finally started taking passengers in January. In the midst of the delays and soaring costs, Ferguson Marine under the control of Mr McColl fell into administration and was nationalised at the end of 2019 with CMAL and the yard's management blaming each other. A CalMac spokesman said: "Like many people across the network, everyone at CalMac is disappointed MV Caledonian Isles hasn't returned. We want to give communities and customers certainty over services for the remainder of summer, and that is why we are developing a plan for not having MV Caledonian Isles, and a plan for having her which can be implemented when she returns."

STV News

3 days ago

• STV News

‘Impossible to say' how long Arran ferry will remain out of action, says Calmac

It is 'impossible to say' how long a ferry serving one of Scotland's busiest island routes will continue to be out of action, the operator has said. The MV Caledonian Isles usually operates on the route between Ardrossan in North Ayrshire and Brodick on the Isle of Arran, but it has been out of service since January last year. It had been due to return to the route in recent weeks, but issues with its gearbox have forced consistent delays. On Thursday, CalMac announced the ship would return to dry dock for work on a pressure issue with its propulsion system. Chief executive Duncan Mackison said the inspection will take a few days, and the length of time the ship will continue to be out of action will not be known until that is completed. 'Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly,' he said. 'Once the vessel is in drydock, the inspection will take a few days. Until then, it is impossible to say how long any repair might take. 'But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. 'To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week.' When it returns to service, the Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so given the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the port, meaning passengers have to board at Troon, South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled. Scottish Tory transport spokeswoman Sue Webber said the latest news will have 'Arran residents tearing their hair out in despair'. 'It beggars belief that there is still no return date for a ferry which has been out of service since January last year,' she said. 'The makeshift CalMac fleet is hanging together by a thread – and the blame for this lies squarely with the SNP and their abject failure to build the new ferries that betrayed islanders were promised years ago. 'CalMac and island communities have been left crossing their fingers that no other aging and decrepit vessels break down in the meantime.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'CalMac has informed us that while carrying out sea trials for MV Caledonian Isles, further work has been identified relating to pressure levels in the propulsion system. Further information is expected in the coming days. 'In the interim, a two-vessel service will continue to operate between Arran and the mainland, via Troon. This two-vessel service will be delivered by MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. 'MV Alfred, which is currently chartered from Pentland Ferries, will be retained by CalMac until the end of October. 'This will continue to provide improved resilience across the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Daily Record

3 days ago

• Daily Record

Arran ferry service hit by new setback as Caledonian Isles returns to dry dock

The MV Caledonian Isles has been plagued with maintenance issues which have delayed its return to service. CalMac can't say when services will run between Ardrossan and Arran after the MV Caledonian Isles was taken back to dry dock before it could re-entre service. Gearbox problems had delayed the long-awaited return of the vessel but the ferry operator today, Thursday, June 19, confirmed it would be returning to dry dock for further inspections. ‌ The MV Caledonian Isles had been due to return to the route from Brodick to Ardrossan in March after maintenance but that date had continued to be pushed back by a series of unforeseen issues. ‌ It means passengers looking to travel between Arran and the mainland will be restricted to sailing via Troon for the time being. Further disruption is expected on the Arran service as the MV Alfred will be out of service on Wednesday, June 25 for "mandatory" training and then again from Monday, July 7 for two weeks for "essential maintenance which has already been delayed". A spokesperson for CalMac said: "MV Caledonian Isles will now be moved to drydock following attendance by divers and the manufacturer. This means she will be unavailable for service. We don't yet have a return to service date until the investigation takes place. "This is the next stage of efforts to resolve what we now know to be an ongoing issue with pressure levels in her propulsion system. We will provide another update on this next week. "MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred will continue to operate the service to/from Arran until 6 July, as per the current timetable - with the exception of 25 June. ‌ "However, on 25 June, MV Alfred needs to be off service to fulfil prearranged mandatory MES training. "MV Alfred requires essential maintenance, which has already been delayed once to support network requirements, between 7 and 21 July. "We will provide a further update on deployment plans next week when the investigation has progressed further." ‌ Ardrossan Harbour has lain empty since the MV Glen Sannox entered service in January - six years late and four times over budget - as the Arran service moved exclusively to Troon. as the timescale for repairs to the MV Caledonian Isles were extended. Ardrossan Harbour is too small to cope with the MV Glen Sannox - the second largest and the most complex vessel ever built for CalMac - and its sister ship the MV Glen Rosa. ‌ Plans to upgrade the harbour were previously approved by the Scottish Government in 2018 but discussions between stakeholders stalled and the work has yet to start. In February, the Scottish Government announced they would explore nationalising Ardrossan Harbour so that upgrades could be done to allow the Arran ferry to return.