Government reveals new bus safety steps

WASHINGTON -- It would be harder for tour bus companies to win permission to operate and easier for the government to put rogue operators out of business under a series of bus safety steps Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Thursday.

Other proposals LaHood announced would make it easier for the government to revoke bus drivers' commercial licenses if those drivers violate drug and alcohol laws while operating a vehicle other than a bus or if they fail to pay fines.

Starting immediately, the initiative calls for more unannounced bus inspections through the summer at tourist venues including casinos.

For Robert Toralbo, safety director of Ryan's Express in Las Vegas, this amounts to business as usual.

"They have been doing this since the first of the year," he said. "We've been in this business a long time, so we know what to expect."

Silver State Trailways district manager Jim Gibson, meanwhile, said the inspection pace has increased this year, primarily in California.

"We haven't seen too much of it here in Nevada," he said.

Both said they had not seen the entire program yet so they could not comment on its effects.

Toralbo said inspectors already pore over logs to ensure that drivers don't exceed limits for time on the road without rest. Many of the inspections Ryan has encountered came at places such as national parks and theme parks, where buses are often parked for several hours.

"I don't know how they would do it at a casino, since a bus generally just drops people off and leaves," Ryan said, adding that he approves of the program's intent.

"There are a lot of fly-by-night operators that give the rest of us a bad name,'' he said.

Federal attention to bus safety has increased since the March 12 crash of a bus returning to New York City from a Connecticut casino. Fifteen people were killed when the bus -- reportedly traveling at its maximum speed of 78 mph -- toppled off an elevated highway and struck a utility pole, peeling off its roof.

A passenger has said the driver fell asleep; the driver has said he was alert and well-rested. The accident is still under investigation.

The new Transportation Department proposals would require bus companies to pass a safety audit before receiving federal a federal permit. The audit would include an interview with the company's owners and a check of drivers and vehicles.

Under the department's proposals, penalties for operating buses without federal permission would increase from $2,000 a day to as much as $25,000. The department also would have greater authority to pursue unsafe "reincarnated" or "chameleon" companies, which change names and locations after citations.

The department also said it has made final previous proposals to tighten requirements for issuing a commercial driver's license. Drivers now will have to first obtain a special learner's permit, and state licensing agencies will be required to meet national test standards. Use of foreign-language interpreters during testing will be prohibited to reduce the potential for fraud, the department said.

"This is really welcome news," said Jackie Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. "All these actions by the Transportation Department will help keep unsafe (bus companies) and unsafe drivers off the road."

Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Tim O'Reiley contributed to this report.