According to a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a state official has said that two of every five charter bus companies in Texas have been ordered off the road in the past two years.
In the last year alone, 201 companies had their authorization revoked, leaving about 300 companies with permission to operate in Texas. However, some of the grounded companies have changed their name and returned to the bus industry—information that has come into view after a fatal bus accident that killed 17 people in August.
The Houston-based company changed their company name after being shut down for safety violations. Since the crash last month, two other bus companies in Irving and Houston have been shut down because of affiliation with revoked companies.
Even though motor coach safety is mostly under federal law, the state Transportation Department is trying to make it easier for the public to have access to bus records. Later this month, the state will begin posting complaints filed against bus companies, results of investigations, and other helpful documents at www.txdot.gov <http://www.txdot.gov> .
Tags: Bus Accidents, fatalities