Volvo buses on Thursday rejected the allegation by Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department that faulty design of its buses was one of the major causes for the fire, which engulfed a luxury bus and claimed 45 lives on October 30 last year in Mahabubnagar district.
The reason for the accident was not due to a faulty design, a statement issued by the company said. The company has submitted to Andhra Pradesh CID, technical data that provide evidence of Volvo’s full compliance with all stipulated regulations, the statement added. The vehicles were fully approved under the relevant regulations in India and Volvo buses not only meet, but in some cases also exceed, regulatory guidelines, it said.
The Andhra Pradesh police CID had on Wednesday said that “faulty” design of Volvo buses is among the three major causes for the fire which engulfed a luxury bus and claimed 45 lives on October 30 last year, near Palem in Mahabubnagar district.
Asserting that Volvo products were developed and built to minimise the consequences of accidents, the company said they have 12 years of experience in the Indian market. Five thousand Volvo buses were in operation in India and more than 30,000 drivers have been trained by Volvo.