A Swedish-registered Russian bus was separated while rolling on the night of Thursday after the police found several faults and deficiencies.
Published: 25/04/2024 19:20
On the night of Thursday, the police in Oslo carried out an inspection of a Russian bus on the E18 in Høvik.
During the check, it was discovered that the bus is Swedish registered, says operations manager Bjørn Gunnar Nysæter in the Oslo police district.
There were 22 people on board the bus when it was stopped by the police.
– There are uncertainties surrounding the lease, which means that the legality of the use of the bus in Norway must be investigated further, the police say.
The Swedish Russe bus also had several faults and deficiencies. The police state that a report has been made for a number of the conditions that have been uncovered.
The Russian bus is now segregated. The bus driver, who is a Swedish citizen, had his driving license confiscated.
Police: Missing emergency exits
The Swedish Road Administration will now have a full technical review of the bus, which is registered for 63 people 63 people28 seats, 35 standing places.
Audun Storvik is a police chief in the traffic corps in the Oslo police district. He says that the bus had several defects that led to the separation and report:
- The bus had a screwed-on petrol unit. It is flammable and therefore not allowed.
- It had a total of six emergency exits. The requirement is at least nine emergency exits in the form of six windows and three roof hatches.
- Equipment to check driving and rest time for the driver was missing. This equipment is necessary to check that the driver has taken the statutory breaks.
- The bus did not meet the requirements for renting a Russian bus from Sweden to Norway.
– A screwed-on petrol unit and a lack of emergency exits is a bad combination. The bus looked almost like a fire trap on wheels, says Storvik.
He says the case is now under investigation. What happens next depends on the findings of the inspection.
More and more foreign Russian buses
In recent years, the police have registered that more and more foreign buses are being used as Russian buses in Norway. This is because the rules for registering buses are more liberal in several countries.
– In Sweden you can get Russian buses with approved parking spaces. Standing places are not allowed in Norway. The bus that was separated last night, for example, has 35 approved standing places. In addition, side-by-side seats are also not allowed in newer Russe buses in Norway. In many countries it is legal, says Storvik.
– Why is it not legal to have standing places in Norway?
– In the event of heavy braking, people who are standing can be pushed forward forcefully. It can risk serious injuries, says Storvik.
The police have also discovered that several of the foreign buses have previously been Norwegian registered. What happens to the bus in question and the company that hires it out will be decided after the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has checked it.
I think the buses are approved
The Swedish bus comes from the company Rent4, which leases out to the Russian bus company Sidestilt.
– The buses we have are legally approved according to the relevant current rules, says bus owner Dag Vemund Ljung-Haanäs in Rent4, who also works in Sidestilt.
Aftenposten has confronted him with the shortcomings the police have uncovered.
– As long as the police do not want to give us more information about the case, it is difficult for us to comment on it, he says.
It is a Russian group from Asker that has hired the bus. Aftenposten has tried to contact the group, but has not been able to get in touch with them.
