NY bus inspections remove more than 100 drivers from road

Recent surprise bus inspections by New York’s Department of Transportation have led to more than 100 drivers being removed from road. Over a two-week period between September and October Empire State officials conducted 1,185 roadside inspections statewide, resulting in 116 drivers and 95 buses being taken off the road. Some 48 drivers and 26 buses were taken out of service in New York City alone.

This enforcement push was the latest effort in a crackdown on bus safety that Governor Cuomo launched last March. The recent two-week inspection initiative was conducted in conjunction with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and police agencies across the state from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7.

“Since March, we have conducted more than 5,000 inspections to make sure that bus drivers and their vehicles are fit to operate in New York State,” Governor Cuomo said. “The bus industry is a critical element of our transportation system and the many New Yorkers who rely upon it need to know they will reach their destinations safely.”

In response to Governor Cuomo’s bus safety directive last spring, state Department of Transportation inspectors, New York State troopers, and other law enforcement officials have conducted 5,166 roadside bus inspections, removing 530 drivers and 460 vehicles from the road. In addition, New York State Police have issued more than 550 moving violations to bus drivers.

Roadside checks conducted in the New York City area continue to produce the greatest number of drivers and vehicles with serious violations. Of the 2,437 roadside bus inspections conducted there since March, 379 drivers and 387 vehicles have been taken out of service.

Since New York’s inspection initiative began earlier this year, the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it will be conducting a review of the safety system governing the discount tour bus industry. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also announced that it moved up its national bus inspection operations to assist states in conducting roadside checks of motor coaches and their drivers.