Probe after driverless bus hits car in central Rome

Rome, June 8 (IANS/AKI) Local bus company ATAC launched an internal investigation on Wednesday after a bus with no driver crashed into a car in central Rome.

The accident happened on Tuesday evening when the bus hit the car as it was stopped at traffic lights in Piazza Venezia, ATAC said on its website. At the time of the accident, the bus's driver had parked the vehicle at the terminus and got out, leaving one passenger on board.

Neither the woman driving the Smart car nor the passenger aboard the bus was injured, ATAC said.

The accident follows dozens of ATAC buses bursting into flames over the past 18 months, sparking renewed calls for better maintenance of the ageing fleet of vehicles and greater safety for passengers and drivers.

The average Rome bus had been in service for 13 years, and some for more than 30 - nearly double the Europe-wide average of just seven years.

--IANS/AKI

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