Inspection report shows ART bus had multiple problems before fire

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Back in June, ART bus 1907 burst into flames near I-40 and Coors – but why?

KOB 4 asked the city for the inspection and defect reports for that bus, and found a long list of problems in the last six months. Some small issues like scratches, and others more serious, like doors not operating correctly.

But what could cause a fire?

“Our buses go through a routine, we call it a preventative maintenance every 6,000 miles. This one, ironically had just been through one on May 15,” said Bobby Sisneros, deputy director of the city’s Transit Department. 

That May 15 inspection revealed a number of problems, including graffiti, a busted bike rack strap, and even an out-of-date fire extinguisher. 

But, a road test showed it was OK at this time. A month after that, it caught fire.

Back in January, the report shows there was a coolant leak. In March, the low coolant light came on, and they made a fix, and topped it off with coolant before approving it for the road.

Thankfully for the bus driver, they replaced the fire extinguisher with one that was not expired.

We asked the city if there was an oversight with the coolant that contributed to the fire, and they said that was not an oversight as that problem had been fixed.

City officials say they still don’t know what caused the fire. They are waiting for it to be inspected by the company that sold them the bus.