Bus Safety News: Look Before You Book a Bus Trip

Many of us overlook one of the most economical, energy-efficient, and roomier modes of transportation out there – the bus. Additionally, because of the hulking footprint, buses also tend to be one of the safest modes of transportation as well.

One thing often overlooked when booking a trip to your favorite destination is how safe the vendor is. Whether you are just booking for yourself or renting a charter bus for a group, don’t put yourself and others at risk unnecessarily as there are lots of safety tips, smart technology applications to use to research bus operators, and ways to report safety violations.

A Few Tips to Consider When Booking a Bus

Bus Safety News: Look Before You Book a Bus Trip

The following tips were provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:1

• When looking at a bus operator record check their level of maintenance records and standards, because typically poorly maintained vehicles are more likely to break down and have crashes.
• Operating without licensed commercial drivers and not following federal guidelines for ‘hours of service rules’ is not only illegal, but a huge safety issue.
• Also, failure to follow state registration regulations and interstate commercial operation guidelines puts passengers at risk.

FMCSA’s SaferBus Mobile App

You can download the FMCSA’s SaferBus Mobile App for IOS or Android smartphones. This application will let you do the following:

• Look up a bus company by name, DOT or MC number.
• Companies that have been placed “out of service” for poor standards appear in red with “NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE” next to the company name.
• The FMCSA rates bus companies on a scale from 0 to 100 with the smaller the percentage the more observed compliance that company is shown to rate.
• Some of the areas of operation that are ranked include: unsafe driving, fatigued driving, driver fitness, controlled substance/alcohol, and vehicle maintenance.

If you would like to report any kind of unsafe bus operation or safety-related concern, feel free to call the FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Hotline at 1-888-368-7238 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time, or use their online National Consumer Complaint Database.

Contact Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan

Have you suffered a personal injury in a bus accident through no fault of your own? If so, Lakewood Auto Accident Attorney James L. Finegan is ready to take up your legal fight for justice and any compensation owed to you as a result of negligence. For more than three decades, James L. Finegan has been bring these bus accident cases to successful resolutions.

Learn more about your rights and legal options during a free, no obligations case evaluation with Attorney James L. Finegan. To schedule this meeting, call (303) 980-5511 or toll free at (888) 980-5511. You can contact us via the contact form.

From offices based in Lakewood, CO, James L. Finegan, P.C. provides superior representation to clients throughout Jefferson County and the state of Colorado, including those in Denver County, Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Adams County and the Colorado Front Range region.