£117m satellite tracking ... and we still miss buses

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Transport for London's iBus scheme, which started last year, will eventually mean tracking equipment is installed on more than 8,000 vehicles on 700 routes across the capital.

By using GPS satellites, the system allows buses to be tracked, with the information being shown on buses and at bus stops and even texted to passengers' mobile phones.

It is being tested at two of London's 87 bus garages but staff told today of major reliability problems.

A source at one of the garages said: "The system crashes on a regular basis, up to four times a week, and once it was down for most of the day.

"In the meantime, drivers have no communication whatsoever and we don't know where the buses are."

The source claimed drivers had to use their mobiles to ring in their bus's position to their station.

The Code Red system is also issuing random emergency "ghost bus" calls, in some cases up to 60 times a night.

The source said: "Bad wiring on some buses means that every time they are started they make an emergency call.

The danger is if there is a real problem, it is not going to get picked up."

Tom Young of Computing magazine, which uncovered the problems, said: "This system is crucial to Transport for London's management of buses in London, so these teething problems need to be ironed out as quickly as possible."

Trade union Unite, which represents London's bus drivers, has complained to trial operator Arriva.

A Unite spokesman said: "We are concerned that Arriva addresses these problems before the roll-out continues and more drivers are endangered."

A TfL spokesman described the claims as "complete rubbish".

He said: "The new system using iBus is completely robust. It uses two independent radio systems, so if one fails, there is a back-up in place.

"Drivers have direct access to the London Buses emergency control centre 24 hours a day. On no occasion have they been unable to contact the centre.

"When this system was introduced a small number of 'ghost' driver incident reports were received but the problem was quickly resolved."

Arriva declined to comment.