SAFETY * USA - Board reviews foreign-made bus regulations
Washington,DC,USA -The Huffington Post Wires, by SUZANNE GAMBOA -October 7, 2008: — The federal investigation of a fatal Texas bus crash zeroed in Tuesday on foreign-made passenger buses that operate in the U.S. but don't meet minimum U.S. safety standards... Witness testimony revealed shortcomings in safety regulations and enforcement intended to ensure the buses are not used to carry passengers on U.S. roads... Debbie Hersman, a National Transportation Safety Board member, said the regulations are a patchwork enforced by different agencies... No motorcoaches are made in the U.S., Hersman said. She suggested companies purchase buses that don't comply with federal standards because they are cheaper. The price for a bus that meets U.S. safety rules is about $425,000, compared to about $211,000 for the bus in the Texas crash, she said...(Photo: Texas' fatal bus crash)* Heavy buses need some support
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Shelby Grad -October 7, 2008: -- Apparently, humans aren't the only ones with a weight problem. MTA buses are getting heavier, and that's prompted officials to spend the next two months building special "pads" along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood... According to WeHo News, the concrete pads will protect the roadway surface from damage but could cause traffic delays. Without it, the road in front of the bus stops could sink, reports Ryan Gierach: "Traffic on WeHo’s main drag, Santa Monica Boulevard, will slow during the months of October and November while Los Angeles Metro installs concrete bus pads to save wear and tear on the roadbed. Beginning today, a total of nine new bus pads will be installed along Santa Monica Boulevard, with two on Fairfax Avenue at Santa Monica Boulevard, to accommodate the new articulated “double length” busses MTA has recently deployed along the commuter route..."* Charter Buses Must Have Proper Permits
Sacramento,CAL,USA -News 10, by Karen Massie -8 Oct 2008: -- There are numerous questions about the fatal charter bus crash of gamblers headed to a Colusa casino Sunday evening... News 10 has learned driver Quintin Joey Watts, 52, of Stockton had a commercial license to drive trucks. But Watts, who was injured in the crash, didn't have the Class B license that would allow him to drive a bus carrying 42 passengers... The crash killed eight and injured 35. More than 20 remained hospitalized Tuesday... The owner of the charter bus company, Daniel Cobb, 68, of Sacramento and Modesto, died when the bus flipped over and ended in a ditch off Lone Star Road in Colusa County... Susan Carothers with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said Cobb was properly licensed to drive the bus and had been licensed with the CPIC since 1974. Carothers added that Cobb "only had one 47-passenger bus on file with the CPUC"... People acquainted with Cobb's business told News 10 he had about four or five buses he was operating... (Photo: Charter bus owned by Cobb Bus Service was bought from Greyhound two years ago) * NTSB told of trade loophole for Mexico buses in U.S. - Panel looking into Victoria-area crash told of how coaches can bypass American safety rules
Washington,DC,USA -The Houston Chronicle (Houston,TX), by TERRI LANGFORD -Oct. 9, 2008: -- Mexican-made buses are getting across the border and past U.S. safety requirements because they are involved in international trade and are not considered imports, a federal inquiry revealed on Wednesday... On Jan. 2, the Volvo bus owned by Capricorn Bus Lines Inc. was returning Houston residents from holidays spent in Monterrey, Mexico... The bus driver and passengers were checked for their legal status and documents at the Laredo crossing... But no motor vehicle inspectors — either from Texas or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — were on duty to check the bus's legal status... Even if they had, it's not likely that they would have noticed anything out of the ordinary... Inspectors don't have access to comprehensive databases that might have revealed the suspicious way this bus was registered through a Dallas company and that it never had import documents... Four hours later, the bus crashed near Victoria, killing one man and injuring 46 others...
Labels: bus safety rules
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