A former shuttle driver, who worked for the company involved in the fatal Mt Ruapehu bus crash, says she felt unsafe driving its buses on the mountain six-years-ago.
Lucy Conway says her historic experiences resulted in her changing jobs.
"I was just too scared to drive those buses, I had to do a hill start without a handbrake.
"I went to my boss and burst into tears saying I can't do it anymore," Ms Conway said.
She says there were also problems with the exhaust brakes on some of the buses.
"When you’re driving down a hill like that it's nice to use your exhaust brakes so your foot brakes don't heat up".
Ms Conway says things may be different at Ruapehu Alpine Lifts now with new management in place.
Ruapehu Alpine Lifts declined to comment saying matters relating to the investigation are not able to be discussed at this time.
Yesterday, 1 NEWS found out the bus that crashed returning from Tūroa ski field on Saturday previously failed its Certificate of Fitness nine times.
The Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) bus rolled and crashed on Ōhakune Mountain Road just five minutes into the 17km journey. It was carrying 31 passengers.
A young girl died and other passengers were injured in Saturday’s crash.
Hannah Francis, 11, died in the crash and three people were seriously injured - a man and two women - and were airlifted from the site and remain in a stable condition at Waikato Hospital.
The Mitsubishi Fuso bus was imported from Japan in 2004 and failed its Certificate of Fitness nine times over the 14 years.
Different to a warrant of fitness - the certificate is a regular check for heavy vehicles to ensure they meet required safety standards. The inspection covers many aspects, including brake condition and operation.
The 24-year-old bus passed its most recent inspection at the end of May.
RAL Lifts chief executive Ross Copland said in a statement: "Our thoughts are with the passengers and families involved in the crash, as well as our driver.
"The crash is under investigation by the police and we will not be making any further comment at this stage."
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