BUS CRASH DEATHS NOT MY FAULT.. Driver tells court he didn't even know school-run vehicle had ABS brakes.

Byline: By CONOR GALLAGHER and AOIFE Nic ARDGHAIL

THE driver of a bus which crashed killing five schoolgirls revealed he was never told the vehicle had an anti-lock braking system.

John Hubble said nobody in Bus Eireann informed him the vehicle was supposed to have ABS so he never looked out for a light indicating if it was functioning properly.

The 58-year-old told prosecuting counsel Mr Brendan Grehan SC he was "shocked" when gardai told him a bulb was missing from the ABS warning system.

He added: "It wasn't put there for nothing. The lights were there to alert a driver."

It was day two of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of the two companies accused of failing to ensure the safety of the bus. Mr Hubble described the events leading up to the tragic crash on May 23, 2005.

He said he picked up half his passengers from the bus depot in Navan and drove towards Kentstown where he picked up more schoolchildren.

There was torrential rain as he left the depot but it eased off.

Mr Hubble added he knew there were works on that road and was doing 30mph to 35mph when he took his foot off the accelerator while approaching bend at Mooretown. He touched the brakes when he saw the temporary traffic lights and the back of the bus "did a little quiver" and went out to the right.

Mr Hubble said he pressed the brakes again and his vehicle spun around "like a farm gate".

He added: "The tail of it spun around. It went right round and hit the edge of the road and toppled over into the ditch."

The driver said the bus was now on its side in the ditch, facing the direction it came from. He broke the windscreen with his foot.

He said: "My first thought was for the children." Mr Hubble revealed he had never received training on how to deal with a skid and had never been given a driver's manual.

He had never had any accidents before and "didn't touch" drink.

Mr Hubble told Mr Grehan he was not aware the bus was fitted with a computer system for recording brake problems and that this had reached its memory limit of 254 faults.

Mr Hubble said he was not aware Keltank, one of the two companies accused, never serviced, maintained or repaired ABS systems on buses and because he had never had any previous trouble with the brakes he never had the opportunity to find this out.

He added he was not aware the bus had failed a road worthiness test in March.

Witness Dolores Gibney described how her black Volkswagen Polo collided with the bus after the traffic lights.

She said she saw the rear of a bus "spinning around the turn" and she said to herself: "My God this can't be happening."

She heard a bang and knew the vehicle had collided with her car, but could not recall much as she passed in and out of consciousness.

Sinead Ledwidge, Aimee McCabe and Lisa Callan, all 15, Deirdre Scanlon, 17, and 18-year-old Claire McCluskey. died in the crash. The trial continues.

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EVIDENCE John Hubble yesterday Pic: COLLINS