A bus transporting about 30 passengers caught fire while travelling over the Kaimai Ranges today.

The fire started in the engine bay of the Naked Bus, forcing its driver to pull the vehicle over at the intersection of State Highway 29 and Old Kaimai Road at about 11.30am.

A Naked Bus carrying about 30 passengers was forced to pull over at the intersection of State Highway 29 and Old Kaimai Road after its engine caught fire. Photo: Bruce Barnard

Naked Bus driver John Eiao says he was driving down the Tauranga side of the ranges when the dashboard alarms went off, alerting him to the fire.

'Soon as I opened my front door I could smell something funny,” says John. 'When I went round the back of the bus I didn't have to open the door to the engine bay to know there was a bonfire inside.

'Soon as I realised the engine was on fire I ran straight back onto the bus and started screaming at everybody to get off right away.”

Using a fire extinguisher on board the bus, John managed to bring the fire under control and then alerted emergency services. Police and a crew from the Greerton Fire Station were dispatched to the scene.

Naked Bus driver John Eioa. Photo: Bruce Barnard

John is unsure how the fire started and says this is the first time he's encountered an incident like this.

He says one silver lining was the fact that he was able to pull the bus over at the intersection of SH29 and Old Kaimai Road.

'Because the Kaimai is quite windy and narrow in places, had I gone further down the road who knows what could have happened. Thankfully I was able to get the bus completely off the road.”

Naked Bus has since dispatched another vehicle from Rotorua and should arrive at the scene shortly after 1pm.

But some of the 30 passengers have opted not to wait and have already hitchhiked from the scene, says John.

'The police who showed up to make sure everyone was alright were pretty good too, they asked the passengers if anyone needed to be at an airport and offered rides which I thought was great.”

Passengers waiting for a replacement bus. Photo: Bruce Barnard