On the heels of a deadly tour bus crash in Southern California earlier this month, federal investigators announced Thursday they will crack down on bus companies across the nation with a history of safety problems.
During the next two months, officials will target approximately 200 companies with a history of accidents or whose buses have been pulled off the highway by police for safety violations, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Inspectors will also physically inspect buses when they visit bus companies, instead of relying only on company maintenance records, officials said.
Eight people were killed and dozens injured after a tour bus crashed into a pickup truck outside San Bernardino, Calif. on February 4, following a day trip to Big Bear. The tour bus company, Scapadas Magicas LLC, based in San Diego, was shut down because officials said the company posed an "imminent hazard to public safety."
"The tragedy of any one of those crashes, like the one from San Diego, is a call to action for us," said Anne Ferro, Federal Motor Carrier Safety administrator. "We are taking another look and a very in-depth look at the process we use for investigating motorcoach companies to ensure that we are driving toward a zero crash, zero fatality outcome."
The Administration oversees 4,000 bus companies responsible for more than 700 million passenger trips a year.
