Two lawmakers announced Sunday that the National Transportation Safety Board will launch a probe into the U.S. tour bus industry. The investigation comes after a series of deadly crashes in the East involving tour buses. According to CNN, New York senators Charles Schumer and Nydia Velazquez said the probe is a result of the March 12 bus crash in the Bronx that killed 15 and left scores injured. Two days later another New York crash killed two.
Schumer also called on New York’s Department of Motor Vehicles to examine the records of drivers working for low-cost tour bus companies for past violations and suspended licenses. Meanwhile, two people injured in the Bronx crash have filed multimillion-dollar lawsuits against World Wide Tours and the bus driver, Ophadell Williams. Williams’ testimony to police after the accident has been peppered with contradictions; he was also found to have a criminal past, which included charges of manslaughter and grand larceny. For more, visit www.cnn.com.
i hope these sweeping changes take into account the entire industry,,,,because we are in our busiest part of the tour bus season,,,and bending/breaking the rules; e.g. hrs. of service, on duty time , etc,,,,are happening regularly……the “hours of service” rules need to be looked at also….ours is “eight hours off duty” but that does’t mean eight hours of rest,,,,,,,we share rooms with other drivers so the company can save money, but everyone is different,,theirs those that can’t sleep right away,,,those that snore, etc….then u have to get up extra early to take your turn in the shower….then we pretrip the bus,,,,,and if we are lucky , maybe get a cup of coffee or even rearer . actually eat breakfast…….which is all done in those eight hours…..so we actually sleep 4.5 to 5.0 hrs…..
Do this on a multiday trip and u start to really get fatigued…especially on the last day when check out at the hotel is 0900 and you aren’t leaving the area until 1800 hrs. to drive them home….we don’t have sleepers in the coach and aren’t allowed to idle..
It is a real problem