Federal crackdown on unsafe buses in California

Started by WMAveteran, December 27, 2013, 01:59:40 AM

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WMAveteran

 (By Joel Grover and Chris Henao, NBCLosAngeles.com) Feds shut down five bus companies; action follows series of LA-area crashes. The federal government is stepping up its crackdown on unsafe buses in California, issuing an order that puts  five "unsafe" bus companies out of business.
This latest move comes seven weeks after the NBC4 I-Team began airing reports exposing widespread safety problems with LA area bus companies, and a week after three major bus crashes on Southern California highways.

The Federal Motor Carrier Administration has ordered the LA-based bus company called "It's Good Promotion" to stop doing business immediately. The company, based in East Los Angeles, ran buses from LA to Mexico.


  The feds say on Dec. 1, they inspected a bus with the "It's Good Promotion" name crossing the border into the U.S., and found 17 serious safety defects. They ordered the bus "out of service," and opened an investigation into the company.
Investigators uncovered something even bigger: they say It's Good Promotion was illegally allowing at least four other "unsafe bus companies," that had previously been shut down by the government, to continue operating, by using the It's Good Promotion name and federal registration number to evade authorities.
"Rogue bus companies that compromise public safety are being shut down in California and nationwide," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCSA) Administrator  Anne Ferro.
The NBC4 I-Team went to the offices of Its Good Promotion and Holy Spirit Tours, but no was available for comment.
In their investigation, the FMCSA found serious violations from It's Good Promotions bus operations, including:

       
  • Allowing a driver who tested positive for illegal drugs to continue driving
  • Using drivers that didn't have valid U.S. commercial driver's licenses
  • Failing to make sure its buses were properly repaired and maintained
The investigation found companies like Holy Spirit Tours of Los Angeles operating under It's Good Promotion's federal registration number. Holy Spirt Tours was shutdown by the feds in October 2012 after they found serious problems, including  the "fitness" of the company's drivers.
The FMCSA also found two Phoenix-based bus companies that were previously shutdown, were back in business because they were using Its Good Promotion's registration.

Chargerdodge9

Recently, I read on another forum that the FEDs had shutdown about 52 bus companies across the country. That's a lot of people out of work.

WMAveteran

Yes, I posted the same information in this forum on December 13, 2013.  Thank you.

Chargerdodge9