Transit officials say an Ottawa city bus driver “absolutely made the right decision” to narrowly avoid colliding with a Via Rail train early Thursday, not far from the scene of a major crash that claimed the lives of six people more than a year ago.

OC Transpo general manager John Manconi says a city bus was approaching a rail crossing in West Ottawa at approximately 7:50 a.m., when a traffic light at the intersection turned yellow and the crossing barrier came down on the bus as it passed through. The double-decker bus driver opted to stay in place rather than advance over the tracks as the Via Rail train approached, Manconi said.

“The light turned yellow, he went over the line, and he made the right decision to stop the vehicle,” Manconi told reporters on Thursday afternoon, after OC Transpo had completed its investigation of the incident. Manconi said the bus was over the white indicator line, but was about 12 to 15 feet away from the train tracks. “Yes, it was over the line. It was not on the tracks,” Manconi said.

He added that the driver was operating in heavy, stop-and-go traffic, and entered the intersection expecting the cars ahead to advance in time to get through. When the light turned yellow, the driver decided it was safer to brake and wait for the train, Manconi said.

The incident happened in the eastbound lane of Fallowfield Road, near Fallowfield Station in West Ottawa.

A bus passenger told CTV Ottawa that she was expecting the bus driver to reverse, to give the train more clearance, and was unnerved when that didn’t occur.

Manconi said according to OC Transpo protocol, double-decker buses are not permitted to back up without someone exiting the bus to act as a spotter.

He added that an OC Transpo manager was commuting to work on the vehicle’s second level, and saw the entire incident unfold.

Under the circumstances, Manconi said the driver “absolutely made the right decision” to stay where he was.

“We don’t see any gaps in doing the right thing,” he said.

No injuries were reported.

The incident was a grim reminder of a tragic collision that occurred in the same area on Sept. 18, 2013.

Six people aboard a double-decker city bus were killed when it collided with a Via Rail train.

The Transportation Safety Board said in September that the bus was travelling over the speed limit, and that the driver may have been distracted at the time of the crash. A probe of that crash is ongoing.

Manconi said speed was not a factor in the Thursday near-miss.

He added that Via Rail was also satisfied with the decisions of its train operator in the incident.

With files from CTV Ottawa