Curbside Carriers Have Poor Bus Safety Record

Intercity bus companies that provide low-cost bus services, and pick up or drop passengers curbside instead of at terminals, may have a much higher likelihood of being involved in accidents. That information comes from a report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report finds that these curbside bus companies have a likelihood of being involved in an accident that is more than five times the rate of conventional carriers that are based in terminals. While the report finds that passengers on intercity carriers may be much safer than in passenger cars, the safety record of curbside bus companies leaves much to be desired.

Further, the report also finds that new companies that operate less than ten buses are most likely to be involved in accidents.
The National Transportation Safety Board report on bus safety came about as a request by New York lawmakers, who were concerned about motor coach safety after a deadly accident in New York left fourteen people dead.

About eighteen people were injured when a curbside carrier on its way back from a casino, flipped over on a New York street and crashed into a pole. The impact of the accident was instantaneous, splitting the bus into two. Many of the fourteen deaths occurred at the scene. Since then, there have been other accidents including one in Virginia that killed four people, resulting in increased concern about the state of bus safety in the country.

Houston bus accident lawyers know that there are a number of other reasons to be concerned. For one, there's not much that is being done about the ease with which motor coach carriers that are shut down are able to operate under new names and addresses. There is also little control that consumers have over the kind of bus companies they choose. Consumers who book tickets online may not even know the name of the bus company they are choosing. The industry suffers not just from a lack of regulation, but also rapidly evolving modes of operation and business that have made oversight a major challenge.