According to TÜV, many buses drive on Germany’s roads with technical defects. Lighting, motors and drives are particularly frequently affected. Technical defects still play a minor role in accidents.
According to TÜV evaluations, almost every fourth bus is on Germany’s roads with technical defects. As can be seen from the TÜV Omnibus 2024 report, 14.1 percent of the buses tested have failed the general inspection in the past two years. This corresponds to an increase of 2.4 percentage points compared to the 2022 report.
The experts found “minor defects” in a further 10.5 percent (plus 0.9 points) of the buses. According to TÜV information, the most common defects include lighting defects as well as engines and drives that leak oil.
Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory checked too rarely
The TÜV nevertheless emphasized that buses are safe means of transport. In bus accidents in Germany, technical defects played a decisive role rather than the human factor. The TÜV criticizes, among other things, that the requirement to wear seat belts in travel and long-distance transport is checked too rarely.
More than 58,000 general inspections of buses were evaluated for the report.