Dozens more commercial drivers face charges

ALBANY -- Nearly four dozen drivers of tour buses, New York City buses, taxis and other commercial vehicles are being charged with felonies for holding commercial licenses even though they had other licenses suspended under different names, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Monday.

The latest and broadest crackdown on commercial drivers comes after a March tour bus crash on the New York State Thruway near the Bronx. The crash killed 15 of the passengers, who were returning to Manhattan from a Connecticut casino.

The investigation made use of facial recognition technology that matches photos of driver's licenses issued under other names. Most of the drivers had New York City addresses, but they came from elsewhere, including Sleepy Hollow and Hempstead.

The licensed drivers include four working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one of whom is a mechanic who also drives buses in MTA facilities. The driver's licenses are suspended pending court action.

"Many of the individuals arrested obtained multiple driver licenses in order to collect benefits, and even worse, to conceal violent criminal histories," said NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"With New York's use of facial recognition technology, drivers who obtain multiple licenses under different names now have no place to hide," Cuomo said.

The governor said the 46 arrests were the result of partnerships with NYPD authorities and U.S. customs officials, along with prosecutors in Westchester, Rockland and Nassau counties and in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Drivers accused of using aliases to obtain multiple licenses are being charged with offering a false instrument for filing and falsifying business records.

The bus involved in the deadly crash in March was traveling at 78 mph when it toppled off an elevated highway and struck a utility pole, peeling off its roof.

A passenger has said the driver fell asleep, but the driver has said he was alert and well-rested. The crash is under investigation.

Also Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a series of steps designed to make it harder for tour bus companies to win permission to operate and easier for the government to put rogue operators out of business.

Other proposals announced by LaHood would make it easier for the government to take away bus drivers' commercial licenses if they violate drug and alcohol laws while operating a vehicle other than a bus or if they fail to pay fines.