THE driver who did this to his bus when he went under a railway bridge had forgotten he was driving a double-decker, a court heard this week.
John Bush, of London Road, Brentwood, was driving a Regal Busways service from Southend to Chelmsford on May 16, when he drove it under the Duke Street viaduct in the city.
At Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the 72-year-old pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention.
Murray Oliver, defending, told the court: "My client has held his public service vehicle licence for 53 years. On the date in question he was asked to operate a service bus route between Chelmsford and Southend.
"His day started off in the morning and he had been allocated a single-deck vehicle to complete this route.
"It was appropriate because part of the route involved passing under the low railway bridge.
"Mr Bush had done his job as would be expected of him and had done two or three times on this route earlier that day.
"It was a product of this operator when drivers take a rest he hands his vehicle over to another driver, he takes the next vehicle off the other driver.
"The vehicle handed over to Mr Bush was a double-decker."
Mr Bush then travelled to Southend and back, where he was not able to follow the exact route due to the new size of the bus.
"It was an inappropriate vehicle for the route," said Mr Oliver.
"Mr Bush's position is that it was a momentary lapse of concentration in his unblemished career as a bus driver.
"He accepts that he drove a bus under a bridge that was too low."
The defence said there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the incident, but the Chronicle spoke to 16-year-old Dave McKay on the evening of the crash, who said that he was on the top deck of the vehicle when it smashed into the bridge at about 4.30pm.
Three people on the ground were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Passing sentence, Mr B King, chairman of the bench, told Mr Bush: "We find this a serious matter. You had been through the bridge at least two times before that day – it was adequately signed.
"There was serious disruption to traffic and passengers that could have been hit by debris."
Mr Bush was given nine penalty points on his licence, fined £250 and ordered to pay £90 in legal costs and a £25 victim surcharge.
Regal would not tell the Chronicle if Mr Bush is still working.
