Warsaw bus crashes into underground passage after hitting tram and 14 cars; six injured
A Solaris Urbino 18 city bus on line 186 went out of control on Sunday evening, hitting a tram, 14 cars, and finally an underground passage near Rondo Zesłańców Syberyjskich. Six people were injured, two hospitalised.
The incident
On 5 July 2026, around 18:20, a Warsaw municipal bus (Solaris Urbino 18, fleet number 7717) on route 186 collided with a tram at the intersection of Banacha and Grójecka streets, then continued for about one kilometre along Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 roku, damaging 14 passenger cars and road infrastructure. The bus finally struck the roof of an underground pedestrian passage near Rondo Zesłańców Syberyjskich, coming to a halt. Six people were injured: a woman with a pelvic injury and a child with head cuts were taken to hospital; four others sustained lighter injuries.
- Bus departs from Szczęśliwice loop to begin route 186.
- At Banacha/Grójecka intersection, bus hits a traffic light and collides with a tram.
- Bus continues along Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 roku, damaging 14 cars and infrastructure.
- Emergency call received; bus crashes into the roof of the underground passage and stops.
- Rescue operation begins; six injured, two taken to hospital.
Investigation launched
The Warsaw-Ochota District Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into causing a land traffic disaster. Prosecutor Antoni Skiba said the driver, a 58-year-old Polish man, would be questioned as a witness on Monday. The driver was sober and tested negative for drugs. He told police the bus may have suffered a technical failure and he had trouble braking.
We are considering the technical capabilities of the vehicle, and at this stage this is one of the main hypotheses we are considering. However, specialist inspection and an opinion on the electronic records from the onboard computer will be the best reflection of what could have happened.
Prosecutors will also examine city monitoring footage and appoint an expert to assess the injuries of the victims. One injured person has limb fractures.
MZA and Solaris push back on speculation
Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe (MZA), the municipal operator, issued a statement on Monday rejecting online speculation about a gas pedal failure or remote takeover of the bus. Spokesman Adam Stawicki said no such failures had been recorded in the bus series and that a potentiometer fault would immobilise the vehicle, not accelerate it.
We consider any speculation about a gas pedal failure as an unauthorised possible cause of the failure. In the series of buses from which vehicle number 7717 comes, no failures of this device have been recorded. A potential potentiometer failure, according to our knowledge, would result in immobilisation of the vehicle, not its acceleration.
MZA also denied any possibility of remote control, a statement confirmed by the manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach. Solaris representative Mateusz Figaszewski called brake-failure speculation unsupported.
We would like to unequivocally emphasise that speculation about a brake system failure at this moment is not based on real data from the vehicle and is an unsupported opinion.
Unofficial findings point to electronics
According to unofficial reports cited by TVN Warszawa and Życie Warszawy, experts examining the wreckage suspect a failure of the accelerator pedal transmitter. The electronic sensor allegedly sent a constant full-throttle signal to the engine controller, causing the bus to accelerate uncontrollably. Witnesses reported the engine running at very high revs. MZA representatives suggested the driver may have interpreted the situation as brake failure because the braking system could not overcome the engine's full power. Investigators are checking whether the emergency brake was used and will rely on data from the onboard recorder and secured monitoring footage.
