Federal regulators have repeatedly allowed some bus operators to stay on the road despite finding violations that were dangerous enough to shut them down, Bloomberg reports.
Since October, eight companies facing shutdown orders from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration were instead given extensions to keep operating, according to Department of Transportation records.
One of them, Sky Express, was three days into a 10-day reprieve of a shutdown order when it crashed outside Richmond, Va., on May 31, killing four passengers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has since ordered an end to such extensions, saying he was “extremely disappointed” that the company had not been closed down.
Sky Express had been cited four times for serious violations during the last year, according to the FMCSA. These violations included driver fatigue, unsafe driving and lack of vehicle maintenance. Its poor safety record spurred the agency to list Sky Express as “exceeding an intervention threshold” in five different categories.
Anne Ferro, the agency’s administrator, said the extensions were used to ensure its shutdown decisions could withstand legal scrutiny. By law, bus operators get 45 days to appeal shutdown orders. Further extensions are granted if companies provide a corrective action plan, which Sky Express had submitted, according to Ferro.
“They’re cheating the public by having these quiet, behind-the-scenes reviews of their safety,” said Jackie Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington-based consumer group.“Who would have gotten on that bus knowing the violations that they had?”
Another company granted an extension, Ocean Travel of Williamsville, NY, received a driver-fitness score on par with Sky Express, falling below 99.7 percent of other U.S. motor carriers.
About 20 percent of companies given shutdown orders this fiscal year were granted 10-day reprieves while they corrected safety issues, Ferro said.
A congressional panel will conduct a hearing today to investigate whether the FMCSA has sufficient clout to take dangerous operators off the road, and whether the agency has used its powers aggressively enough.
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This is incredibly embarrassing for the companies and the agencies charged with keeping American bus consumers safe. Too often, dangerous drivers remain on the road simply because it’s easier than removing them. The same has been true of San Francisco Muni busses. Of the 348 Muni bus drivers involved in preventable accidents last year, only 7 were in danger of being fired, according to the San Francisco Examiner. There should be much more accountability for life threatening bus accidents.
It would be nice to know all the companies referenced here so they can be avoided. You should never cut corners when it comes to safety, especially when you serve the public and could potentially affect so many peoples lives!