Eight people have been taken to the hospital following a dramatic crash involving a double-decker bus that collided with a railway bridge in Kilmarnock, tearing off the vehicle’s roof.
The incident occurred around 2:00 PM on Thursday at Macphail Drive, near Culzean Crescent. Emergency services quickly responded to the scene, with police sealing off the area to manage the aftermath of the crash.
Footage shared on social media showed the roofless bus, with people standing on top of the wreckage near the bridge, which had clear signage indicating height restrictions.
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed that an ambulance and three response teams were dispatched to the scene at 1:55 PM. Despite the severity of the crash, no serious injuries have been reported.
A police spokesperson later confirmed that eight people had been taken to the hospital, although the injuries were not life-threatening.
The incident involved a Stagecoach number six bus, which was traveling to Bellfield in Kilmarnock.
As it passed under the bridge, which is marked for vehicles under 8ft 3ins (2.5m) in height, the roof of the bus was completely torn off, leaving it behind as the vehicle continued on its route.
The sign near the bridge clearly stated the restriction, raising questions about how the bus driver was unaware of the low clearance.
A teenager who was on the upper deck described the terrifying moments leading up to the crash. “We were supposed to take a right, but the bus driver took a completely different route and went under the railway bridge, which we’re not supposed to do,” the teenager told BBC Scotland.
“The bus was going at some speed, about 30 or 40mph, and the driver was hitting the brakes the whole way through. The roof of the bus got crushed, and glass went everywhere.”
The teenager, who was among around 11 others on the upper deck, said he had a sore neck and scratches from the shattered glass but was otherwise unhurt.
He described the moment as “really scary” and recalled the “massive crashing sound” followed by the sound of glass falling everywhere.
Joshua Hollywood, a local resident who lives opposite the bridge, witnessed the incident and rushed to help.
“There were a couple of people injured, nothing too bad thank god,” he said. “A few cuts and scrapes. The kids were pretty shook up, but the ambulances got here pretty promptly. People from across the road all came out to try and help the kids that were in danger.”
The roofless bus, later removed from the scene, was inspected by police and Stagecoach West Scotland. The bus company confirmed that investigations were ongoing and that they were working closely with authorities.
No services were disrupted, as confirmed by ScotRail, and engineers from Network Rail inspected the bridge, later reporting that it had not sustained any structural damage.
This crash follows closely behind another similar incident just days ago in Glasgow, where a double-decker bus collided with a railway bridge, leaving one man critically injured.
The repeated crashes have raised concerns about bus routes and the awareness of height restrictions among drivers. Investigations into the causes of the Kilmarnock incident are continuing.
