British investigators are questioning whether hundreds of Chinese-made buses can be remotely controlled by their manufacturer amid increasing worries about Beijing's involvement in critical infrastructure, The Guardian reported on Monday.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are looking into the case and working closely with the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center to understand the technical basis for the actions taken by the Norwegian and Danish authorities" concerning buses made by Yutong, which are used in many British cities.
This was in reference to an investigation in Norway by Oslo's public transport service, Ruter, which found that Yutong buses could theoretically be "stopped or rendered inoperable" by the manufacturer.
Following the findings in Norway, Denmark also initiated a probe into the matter.
The U.K. Department for Transport stressed that it "takes security issues extremely seriously and works closely with the intelligence community to understand and mitigate potential risks."
Yutong, located in the Chinese province of Henan, has exported almost 110,000 buses to more than 100 countries, capturing more than 10% of the global market since the company was founded in 1963, according to The Guardian.
In the Norwegian investigation, Ruter did not say there was any proof that Yutong had attempted to control the buses and said it would impose "even stricter security requirements in future procurements."
It also said that bus cameras are not tied into the internet, and "there is no risk of image or video transmission from the buses."
Any evidence that a Chinese manufacturer had interfered with bus or car operations would most likely have a devastating impact on vehicle exports, which is a major industrial aim for the Chinese government.
Nevertheless, digital security experts have long warned that over-the-air updates to cars could be a security or privacy threat, either for a hostile state or criminal group, The Guardian reported.
Ruter said it had tested two buses from Yutong and Dutch manufacturer VDL in a facility inside a mountain tunnel — which would prevent remote tampering during tests.
Yutong's buses are capable of over-the-air software updates, meaning the manufacturer has the ability to change software.
Ruter explained that "there is access to the control system for battery and power supply via mobile network through a Romanian sim card. In theory, therefore, this bus can be stopped or rendered inoperable by the manufacturer."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.