FMCSA Launches Bus Safety Crackdown

In the wake of two West Coast bus crashes that each killed multiple passengers within weeks of each other, federal officials have launched a crackdown on unsafe bus operations, in which officers and auditors will investigate high-risk motorcoach companies.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which also enforces trucking regulations, will work with local and state police to investigate driver qualifications, equipment, scheduling and other safety concerns of high-risk carriers, the agency said Thursday.

“Motorcoach safety is at the center of this agency’s radar," FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said in a statement. “While motorcoach travel is among the safest forms of roadway transportation today, it can and must be safer. The traveling public deserves no less.”

The first wave of the safety crackdown will take about two months, FMCSA said, adding that it will conduct a “top-to-bottom” analysis of its bus safety and enforcement programs as part of the initiative.

A bus operated by Mi Joo Tour & Travel crashed Dec. 30 near Pendleton, Ore., killing nine passengers and injuring 38 others. On Feb. 4, a bus operated by Scapadas Magicas crashed near San Bernardino, killing seven passengers and a driver in another vehicle and injuring dozens.

The agency shut down both companies after the accidents, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes.