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Charter bus accidents have been common in recent years, especially on the East Coast. In many cases, charter bus companies offer passengers discounted fares to travel from one large city to another, such as Philadelphia to New York. The problem is that some of these charter bus companies were found to be running negligent operations, thereby putting passengers at risk.
In response to the increase in tour bus accidents, the federal government announced late last month that it is cracking down on the industry. At a news conference in Philadelphia, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said a two-week crack down would attempt to get dangerous tour buses off of the roads. The country-wide initiative was announced in Philadelphia because of the city’s high number of charter buses, the agency said.
An agency spokesperson said at the news conference that the crack down would consist of surprise inspections of tour buses in operation, and sure enough, one of the inspections was carried out at the news conference itself. A bus driver who stopped at the National Constitution Center in Center City to drop off Chinese tourists was asked to step aside while his bus was inspected by city police.
After the inspection, the bus was ordered out of service until a well-worn tire could be replaced. The agency spokesperson said that similar surprise inspections would be conducted on bus companies that have been placed on “high-risk lists” and also more than 1,000 new charter bus companies that lack safety data with the agency.
As the crack down is nearing an end, we can expect a report from the safety agency soon on how many buses were taken out of service by the surprise inspections.
Before stepping on a tour bus, it’s a good idea to check into the credentials of the company to make sure that the operation is safe. One way to do this is by using the SaferBus free mobile app, which allows passengers to review bus company safety records or make complaints against companies.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “Feds crack down on charter buses,” Dana DiFlippo, Aug. 28, 2013