The group was travelling to a swimming carnival about 9am when the fire broke out at the back of the bus as it travelled along Weston Street, Revesby. All onboard evacuated before the flames took hold.
A Transdev spokesperson said the driver had noticed smoke from the rear of the bus and pulled over safely to evacuate all passengers from the bus.
“We are thankful there were no injuries reported and praise the driver and teachers on board for their quick actions in safely evacuating the students from the bus,” the spokesperson said.
Resident Kevin Kean was sitting on the front verandah when he saw the bus coming up the street “with smoke pouring out the back”, before it stopped in front of his house.
“I noticed a little bit of a flame and banged on the door and told the driver you will probably want to get these kids off the bus because it’s on fire,” he said.
The teachers and students were transferred to another bus and went on to their carnival.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) believe a mechanical fault may have sparked the fire, but an independent investigation is being conducted by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) with the full support of Transdev.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, with additional crews called in to contain a fuel leak.
