Now ANOTHER London bus catches fire: Hybrid vehicle bursts into flames in east London just a day after electric double-decker exploded on the school run in Wimbledon

Bus caught fire in North Woolwich, East London, just before 7am this morningIt comes after another bus burst into flames in Wimbledon at 7.20am yesterday 

A second London bus burst into flames this morning, completely destroying it less than 24 hours after an electric double decker also exploded on the school run.

The hybrid vehicle caught fire in North Woolwich, East London, just before 7am – with onlookers shouting ‘what the f***’ as they were urged to ‘move back, get back’.

A video showed the bus ablaze before dawn at the junction of Factory Road and Store Road, while later photographs taken in daylight showed its burnt-out shell.

Firefighters confirmed no passengers were on the bus at the time and there were no injuries, although it took around an hour to get the blaze under control. Crews set up an 80ft (25m) cordon at the scene and were investigating the cause this afternoon.

Only yesterday, a huge blast ripped the back off an Optare Metrodecker bus on route 200 in Wimbledon in South West London at 7.20am on its way to Raynes Park.

It came nearly two years after all Metrodeckers were temporarily taken out of service for safety checks in May 2022 when two were involved in a major fire at Potters Bar bus garage in Hertfordshire – before being returned to service only days later.

TODAY: Another London bus caught fire just before 7am today in North Woolwich, East London

TODAY: The burnt out shell of the London bus in North Woolwich, East London, this morning

TODAY: The bus was completely destroyed by the blaze in North Woolwich, East London

Today, a London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We were called at 6.49am today to reports of a bus on fire on Factory Road in North Woolwich.

‘No passengers were on the bus and there have been no reports of any injuries.

‘Firefighters attended and brought the fire under control by 7.55am. One double-decker bus was destroyed by fire.

‘A 25-metre (80ft) cordon is currently in place as a precaution. The cause of the fire is under investigation.’

Transport for London (TfL) was contacted for comment by MailOnline today.

The exact model of the bus involved in today’s fire is not yet known – but MailOnline understands it was a hybrid.

Hybrid buses, which run on diesel and electricity, are said to produce 40 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than regular buses. The first one in London was introduced in 2007 on the 141 route between Palmers Green and London Bridge when Ken Livingstone was Mayor.

Today’s blaze happened near two bus garages run by operator Go-Ahead London – its Silvertown site and another called ‘Henley Road (North Woolwich)’.

TfL, which has about 1,000 electric buses across its network, said yesterday that it will not withdraw any Metrodeckers from service and has insisted they are safe.

However the City Hall Conservatives have called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to remove all them from the capital’s roads until the cause of the Wimbledon fire is known.

More than 80 Metrodeckers operate on eight London routes around the capital – in addition to route 200, the others are routes 23, 28, 134, 295, 317, 626 and N28.

YESTERDAY: An electric double decker burst into flames in Wimbledon, South West London

YESTERDAY: The smoldering bus with a charred back window in Wimbledon yesterday

MAY 2022: Two Optare Metrodecker London electric buses were involved in a major fire at Potters Bar bus garage in Hertfordshire on May 22, 2022 – which destroyed a total of six buses

Mr Khan also faced calls to launch a ‘full and urgent investigation’ into the fire in Wimbledon as he ploughs ahead with his stated ambition to make the capital’s entire bus fleet ‘zero-emission’ by 2034.

Yesterday’s blaze was the latest example of safety faults with electric vehicles – which were the fastest growing cause of fires in the capital last year, according to the LFB. In 2023 there were 150 e-bike fires in London, along with 28 e-scooter fires, which was 53 per cent more than in 2022.