Ruapehu Alpine Lifts vehicles off road after fatal crash, inspections

Thursday, 2 August 2018

NZ Transport Agency is doing an urgent audit of Ruapehu Apine Lifts vehicles after a fatal crash on July 28.

Ruapehu Alpine Lifts vehicles are off the road after the NZ Transport Agency began an urgent audit.

The move was prompted by a fatal crash on Mt Ruapehu on Saturday, July 28.

Hannah Teresa Francis, 11, of Auckland died in the crash and 20 other people were injured.

NZ Transport Agency started an urgent fleet audit of the Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) Ltd passenger service vehicles, a statement said.

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* Ruapehu bus crash: Police appeal for witnesses**

After inspections on August 1, RAL voluntarily suspended its operations, NZ Transport Agency spokesman Robert Brodnax said.

NZ Transport Agency is doing a full review of the company's Transport Service Licence, a statement said.

This is independent of the police-led investigation of the crash, Brodnax said.

RAL is outsourcing transport for Mt Ruapehu while investigations continue, a statement from chief executive Ross Copeland said.

Contractors will make sure that skiers can get to the mountain during the height of the season.

RAL is also trying to get in contact with all passengers on the bus.

All vehicles in the RAL passenger fleet are undergoing extensive checks to make sure they exceed required safety standards, he said.

'After that process is completed, our services will resume.'

The bus involved in the crash had been awarded a Certificate of Fitness 58 days earlier, he said.

An AA vehicle history on the bus had noted 'inconsistent' odometer readings, but Copeland's statement said RAL had no record of that.

The company has spoken to or met with several passengers who were on the bus when it crashed, Copeland said, and is trying to contact the rest.

'[A]s we were unable to collect passenger details at the scene of the accident, I would greatly appreciate any passengers we haven't already managed to reach contacting us directly,' he said.

'We would like to ensure that passengers are on the road to recovery, well supported and also keep them updated with the investigation that's under way,' he said.

Both the company and the NZ Transport Agency said they could not comment further about the crash while the police investigation was under way.

Police recently appealed for information from witnesses to the crash.

Anyone with information can contact Taumarunui Police on (07) 895 8119.