DOT orders 41 buses off the road in 4 days

One-quarter of 164 buses checked in surprise safety inspections statewide over four days were ordered off the road because of vehicle or driver violations that put passengers in immediate jeopardy, the state Department of Transportation said Monday.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered the inspections by state transportation investigators and law enforcement officials following a deadly tour bus crash on Interstate 95 in the Bronx.

The 41 major violations included at least two on Long Island. On Thursday, the first day of the operation, five buses were inspected at Nassau Coliseum and two drivers were placed out of service for logbook infractions, which fall under the category of driver fatigue violations.

In a parallel effort, State Police issued 45 moving violations to tour bus drivers during traffic stops across the state, including eight in Nassau County and one in Suffolk on Friday and Saturday, a state police official said.

The surprise inspections last between 45 minutes and an hour and include a review of the tires, brakes and lights, as well as the driver's medical certificate, license and logbook, said Duane DeBruyne, spokesman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates tour bus operators.

The checks typically take place at the point of departure or destination, where officials rope off a section of parking lot and usher buses through, he said.

If the bus or driver is ordered off the road, the company sends a replacement.

On March 12, a tour bus returning to Manhattan from the Mohegan Sun casino crashed on I-95 South, flipping on its side and slamming into a metal signpost, which sheared off its roof. Fifteen people died.

The horrific crash sparked calls for a review of federal safety regulations and Cuomo's order of stepped-up inspections and traffic stops through the end of the month.

Several investigations of the crash are under way, including a criminal probe that is focusing on the driver, Ophadell Williams, and a state inspector general's inquiry into how Williams obtained a commercial driver's license when his driving privileges had been suspended.