A passenger has shared her harrowing experience when the double-decker bus she was on collided with a railway bridge in Cheltenham, narrowly avoiding tragedy.
Margaret Luck was traveling home to Woodmancote from Cheltenham city centre when the incident occurred on Thursday, March 19. Steering into Hyde Lane, the bus struck a low railway bridge, tearing off the roof of the upper deck. Margaret, who was seated downstairs, believes the outcome could have been catastrophic had she been upstairs.
“It was terrifying,” Margaret recalled. “The top of the bus was completely sheared off, and I could see pieces hanging down around me. If we had been upstairs, we would have been killed. I often sit upstairs on these buses, but I will never do that again.”
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The crash left the road beneath the bridge blocked for several hours as emergency services and the bus company dealt with the aftermath. Photographs from the scene showed shattered glass and debris scattered across the road.
Pulhams, the bus operator, confirmed that five passengers and the driver were on board at the time, all seated downstairs. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The company has announced an internal investigation into the crash.
Margaret criticized the driver’s decision to take the double-decker on a route with a visible 3.9-meter height limit, which the railway bridge clearly displays. “The driver should not have been sent out on that route with a double-decker bus knowing the height restrictions,” she said. The intended 50-minute journey home extended to three hours due to delays and the need for a replacement bus.
Gloucestershire Police confirmed emergency services attended the scene and that no injuries were reported. They were also involved in managing road closures during the incident.
This is not the first time this particular bridge has been involved in a similar accident. Nearly 12 years ago, on March 17, 2014, another double-decker bus suffered a roof slicing incident after hitting the same bridge.
Pulhams apologized for the distress and inconvenience caused to passengers and local travelers and emphasized their commitment to safety, noting that incidents of this kind are extremely rare.