A bus owned by the Tacirua Transport Limited that ploughed into a house yesterday has been found to be un-roadworthy because the hand-brake was not working.

Land Transport Authority Chief Executive Samuel Simpson says an inspection has found a serious failure of the Tacirua Transport maintenance system.

He adds the driver failed to carry out pre-service checks before operating, to ensure the safety of passengers.

Simpson says they will continue to ensure the safety of Fijians and bus operators need to be vigilant, thoroughly checking their fleet before putting them on the road.

He is calling on bus operators to properly maintain their vehicles and take all the safety requirements seriously.

LTA has issued Tacirua Transport Limited with a ‘defect order’ which they are required to comply with before the bus is permitted on the road again.