Protecting America's commercial bus passengers with national passenger carrier safety push

I've said it before: safety is this Department's number one priority. And one more way DOT is ensuring the safety of Americans on the road is through our annual Passenger Carrier Safety Strike Force.

For two weeks each year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) coordinates with state and local safety enforcement agencies across the country to conduct thousands of motorcoach, charter bus and other passenger carrier inspections at popular travel destinations.

It's simple, really: we think we owe it to the millions of passengers who travel on commercial buses to make sure that every bus on the road is as safe as possible.

FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro talks with safety inspector at Washington, DC, checkpoint near National Mall

As FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said:

"This safety strike force allows us to reach a greater number of carriers and remove more unsafe vehicles and drivers from the road. This safety initiative is a crucial part of our efforts to prevent crashes and save lives."

But our pursuit of passenger safety is far from limited to these two weeks. FMCSA and its partners perform roadside safety inspections of commercial buses on a daily basis throughout the year. And in 2009 alone, we inspected more than 130,000 commercial buses.

The results? In 2009, FMCSA placed 4.3% of bus drivers and 7.6% of buses out-of-service. Violations ranged from significant vehicle deficiencies to hours-of-service non-compliance. That is passenger protection.

Inspector examines driver's hours-of-service log at DC checkpoint near National Mall

And did you know that, if you're considering bus travel, you can visit FMCSA's website to review passenger carrier safety records? And if you see an unsafe driver, vehicle, or incident, you can report it online or by phone at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (368-7238).

Bus passenger protection--just one more way we at DOT are demonstrating our commitment to safety every day.

Officers from Metropolitan Police Dept and FMCSA inspectors working to protect commercial bus passengers at DC checkpoint

Comments

[Michael E. Bailey]

The safety checkpoints for buses are a very important program. Travel by bus is a safe form of transportation. But once or several timges a year thgere are accidents where persons are hurt or killed. So anything like the safety checkpoints or requiring seat belts in commercial buses would be good. Our OCTA bus and ACCESS paratransit systems have their maintenance facilities, buses, and logs comprehensively inspected at least once a year by the California Highway Patrol. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[МДФ фасады]

In 2009, FMCSA placed 4.3% of bus drivers and 7.6% of buses out-of-service.
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