In defence of National Express
In response to a report on the ITV News: an attempt to redress its biased tabloid reporting.
The general tone of the report suggested that the National Express company had caused the deaths of two people because they were ferrying them from London to Scotland on a speeding death-wagon. An employee "on condition of anonymity" told them how the company's double-decker coaches were "unstable" due to the configuration of their rear wheel axles. As a (very sensible) precaution, National Express announced all double-deckers would be removed from service once they had completed their current journeys.
ITV jumped at the opportunity to scaremonger, claiming hundreds of passengers were still on the roads in dangerous vehicles.
What were they expecting to happen: all double-decker coaches on the roads to simultaneously explode? Were they expecting National Express to instruct all drivers to pull over immediately and leave those hundreds of passengers stranded on the hard shoulder, mid-journey?
This would provide ample material for ITV to condemn the company further, no doubt.
The National Express fleet makes over 600 different journeys a day, covering over 64 million miles a year. This is their first accident of this type. Their fleet of vehicles is safe - each faces a statutory vigorous monthly safety test, and each is fitted with a tachometer - and their drivers are too. Each is regulated to such an extent that speeding by 1mph or driving for one minute longer than necessary can result in them losing their driving licences, let alone their jobs. This information was not given any mention.
I had almost forgotten why I no longer watch ITV News. I won't bother again.
The general tone of the report suggested that the National Express company had caused the deaths of two people because they were ferrying them from London to Scotland on a speeding death-wagon. An employee "on condition of anonymity" told them how the company's double-decker coaches were "unstable" due to the configuration of their rear wheel axles. As a (very sensible) precaution, National Express announced all double-deckers would be removed from service once they had completed their current journeys.
ITV jumped at the opportunity to scaremonger, claiming hundreds of passengers were still on the roads in dangerous vehicles.
What were they expecting to happen: all double-decker coaches on the roads to simultaneously explode? Were they expecting National Express to instruct all drivers to pull over immediately and leave those hundreds of passengers stranded on the hard shoulder, mid-journey?
This would provide ample material for ITV to condemn the company further, no doubt.
The National Express fleet makes over 600 different journeys a day, covering over 64 million miles a year. This is their first accident of this type. Their fleet of vehicles is safe - each faces a statutory vigorous monthly safety test, and each is fitted with a tachometer - and their drivers are too. Each is regulated to such an extent that speeding by 1mph or driving for one minute longer than necessary can result in them losing their driving licences, let alone their jobs. This information was not given any mention.
I had almost forgotten why I no longer watch ITV News. I won't bother again.
