Tour buses overdue for scrutiny
Workers evaluate the scene where a tractor-trailer crashed into a tour bus carrying about 50 people on the New York State Thruway in Waterloo, N.Y. The truck driver was killed and at least 20 people were sent to the hospital, state police said. (July 22, 2011). Credit: AP
The state Department of Transportation has launched a crackdown on unsafe charter buses, and it's about time.
The tour-bus business is booming, but not enough attention has been paid to safety. In March, a horrible bus crash in the Bronx killed 15 passengers returning to Manhattan from a casino trip to Connecticut. The driver turned out to have a record of convictions for manslaughter and grand larceny, and made false statements on his driver's license applications.
The cut-rate interstate bus services that have sprung up in recent years have also generated safety concerns.
Now, in what appears to be a first for New York, the state DOT is suspending the licenses of eight charter and tour bus companies, including four on Long Island. The companies either failed three or more roadside inspections of buses or drivers in the last six months, failed semiannual bus inspections, or received a federal "out of service" order. The suspensions will take about 100 buses off the road.
The DOT also has sharply increased roadside bus inspections and plans to hire 20 new inspectors to step up enforcement.
The agency is on the right track. It's essential that tour buses be operated safely; owners and drivers who fall short of state standards have no place on the road. DOT's new efforts should help the agency uncover dangerous practices and, by letting bus companies know they're in for increased scrutiny, spur them to put a greater focus on safety themselves. hN
