Zipper bus ‘meddling’ threat claimed

Hereford’s Chinese-made Zipper electric buses could be vulnerable to remote “meddling”, it has been claimed.

Several newspapers have reported in the last few days that the Department for Transport (DfT) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) based at GCHQ Cheltenham, have been studying claims that Chinese buses could be rendered inoperable or even have their motion controlled remotely.

This follows research by Norwegian bus operator Ruter, which found that Yutong buses similar to those in use in Hereford were capable of automatic, “over-the-air” software updates, giving the manufacturer “direct digital access to each individual bus” including control systems.

DfT and NCSC officials believe this could render the buses “vulnerable to meddling by Beijing”, The Telegraph reported, though it added there was as yet no evidence of this having happened.

Asked about this, a DfT spokesperson said: “We take security extremely seriously and are working closely across Government and with the transport sector to understand this issue and mitigate potential risks.”
NCSC was also asked for comment.

In November, Germany’s Berliner Zeitung reported from the Yutong factory in Zhengzhou, thought to be the largest of its kind in the world, that the company insisted remote control of its buses “is technically not possible”.

Yeomans Travel, which operates the circular service on the Hereford City Council’s behalf, was also asked whether it thought remote control of the buses was possible.

Hereford was among the first authorities in the country to buy the three Yutong E9 buses, in late 2023, partly paid for by the Government’s Stronger Towns funding for the city.

At the time, city councillor Cat Hornsey said the council “wanted top-of-the-range models that we wouldn’t have to replace in three years”.

But the issue of how the free bus services are to be funded in future remains unresolved.

During a discussion of the city’s draft budget in late November, “there was much debate about the Zipper service and how this could be managed and potential other ways of spreading the burden”, minutes of the meeting show.

“Council has a duty to make responsible decisions, and this is not the position that we want to be in,” they added.

Chair of the city’s finance committee Coun Paul Stevens and other city council representatives were approached for comment.