This week the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is conducting safety inspections of motorcoaches, tour buses, school buses and other commercial passenger buses in 13 states and the District of Columbia. These inspections look for safety violations and can result in bus company shut downs. The goal is to protect bus passengers and others from unsafe operators.
The states involved are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The inspection process includes:
- Checking buses for any mechanical problem, such as brakes, lights and engine defects; and
- Inspecting bus drivers are to ensure they are operating in full compliance with hours-of-service, medical fitness, commercial driver’s license and other federal safety rules.
There are about 4,000 commercial passenger bus companies in the United States. In 2011, bus safety inspections resulted in FMCSA placing 54 unsafe companies out of service.
For bus accident information, please see the following: