No Aircraft
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Company Policy; Human Factors
We were part of a scheduled deadhead crew transporting from the airport to the hotel on our scheduled transportation with the working crew. The bus was involved in an accident enroute to the hotel trying to avoid another accident on the highway that had just occurred. There were at least 8 cars and 2 buses involved in this accident and remained on the highway in the bus after an analysis of the overpass we were stranded on. There were [multiple] employees on the bus. There were 2 Flight Attendants injured involving ankle and possible concussion; the rest were shaken up and had minor aches and pains at the time after the incident. We called the cell phone of the Station Manager; from Airport Database and the hotel as well as scheduling for the 2 injured Flight Attendants. A second bus was dispatched to the scene and it took about 1 hour for that bus to arrive. Upon arrival at the hotel the 2 injured Flight Attendants; requested transport to a hospital; and I as one of the 2 Captains; went with them in a cab to the hospital. The Flight Attendants were treated and released after a couple hours.The other safety issue to this event was the lack of being able to communicate easily with the company; station; hotel. While we were on the bus our IPads do not have Skype; or any other communication program that we were aware of. We obtained a cell phone from one of the language qualified Flight Attendants and had previously looked up the contact numbers including the cell number of the Station Manager. We were stuck on the bus; on the highway; minimal communications. The reason for the report is to highlight the safety issue; and a security issue of lack of communications available to crew members at the time of an incident. This happened to be an auto/bus accident but with the possible issues across the world both security and other weather events or earthquakes; what is the communication tool or policy the company has to allow its crew members across the world to communicate if involved in a event? If an event occurs and cell phones/ cell towers are down; is there another means to communicate?
Captain reported being involved in a traffic accident on the crew hotel bus in a foreign country. The reporter highlighted the difficulty communicating with the company in the event of a disaster when abroad.