Union criticises East of England Ambulance Service over missing airbag error
28 ambulances without passenger-side airbags temporarily pulled from service
The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) has come under fire from GMB Union after it was revealed that 28 new ambulances in its fleet do not have passenger-side airbags installed.
According to the union, 21 of these vehicles are currently being used on the frontline and will be temporarily removed from service. Adjustments are expected to be made to enable the vehicles to stay operational.
Donna Thomas, GMB Regional Organiser, commented: “This is yet another expensive and dangerous mistake from EEAST, which put ambulance staff safety at risk.
We are calling for the Trust to take accountability for the repeated mistakes made when purchasing vehicles.
It is important to remember this is public money and could be spent on more public-facing staff to cut the unacceptable response times in the East of England.
GMB is pleased that the Trust is working with us to rectify the error and keep these ambulances in service, where possible.”
This incident is not the first purchasing error for EEAST. In May 2025, the Trust ordered 75 ambulances with incorrect wheels in an error costing approximately £133,500.
Responding to the criticism, an East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We have identified that a small proportion of our fleet do not have passenger airbags installed. While these vehicles are roadworthy and legal, we are attempting to limit the use of these affected vehicles until a permanent solution can be found.
Our fleet team are working hard to resolve this issue and to ensure that we have enough fleet availability to support our patients.
Safety measures for staff that need to travel as passengers in the vehicles are in place.”
GMB Union has welcomed the collaboration with the Trust to address the issue, but emphasised the importance of ensuring public money is spent wisely and effectively.