Is it Possible to Improve Safety on Discount Buses?
Chinatown buses. Discount buses. Curbside buses. These are all terms that refer to the rapid rise of cheap, private bus transportation. Here in New York, there are a number of companies transporting customers to nearby or mid-range cities like Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Boston; longer-range trips to places like Rochester, Philadelphia, and Richmond; and local entertainment or retail destinations such as Woodbury Common Outlets in Central Valley, NY or Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. The latter was in the spotlight in March of 2011 after a horrendous crash sliced a World Wide Travel coach bus left 14 dead. The cause of the crash was ultimately blamed on the driver falling asleep at the wheel. This brings to question whether the driver rested while passengers were at the casino. The background of the driver itself was sketchy- he had previously been in jail twice, once for manslaughter and once for stealing over $80,000 from the Police Athletic League.
This incident was the catalyst for government concern over safety and regulation of the fast-growing discount bus industry. I was browsing NYTimes’ Twitter feed yesterday when I came across their latest article on safety in discount buses: High Fatality Rate Found for Low-Cost Buses by Michael M. Grynbaum. This article was spurred by the National Safety Transportation Board’s release of its Executive Report of Curbside Motorcoach Safety on Monday, October 31, 2011.
The executive report released some of its key findings:
-Lower cost buses had less accidents, but these accidents were more likely to be fatal than in accidents with traditional carriers
-Lower cost buses were more likely to have citations related to driver fatigue and training
The challenges that were identified:
-Language: Many drivers and companies do not speak or write in English, posing a challenge for communication with inspectors. This challenge also makes it difficult to monitor logbooks.
-Inspection: The nature of the curbside bus stops can impair an inspector’s ability to monitor a bus company’s practices. It may also be difficult to board the bus. It is also difficult if not impossible to perform surprise inspections since these are normally limited to the beginning or end of a trip.
-Reincarnation: Bus companies that have been cited often continue to run under a different name or subsidary. For example, the owner of World Wide Buses, which was responsible for the horrendous bus accident in the Bronx, continues to run privates buses through two other companies.
For me, this issue hits very close to home. I usually ride such a discount bus at least once every two months, often to commute to Washington, D.C. to visit family. What price are consumers like me really paying for an affordable trip? Is it possible for our government to regulate and enforce our safety on these buses? So far, it seems like the National Transportation Safety Board’s report has raised more questions than answers.
