The driver of a bus that crashed in New York City, killing 15 people, should not have been behind the wheel.

The Associated Press reported that, because of a driving suspension and several traffic violations, the driver of the bus in the fatal wreck should not have been allowed a license. His driving privileges were suspended in 1995 after he ignored tickets for speeding and driving without a license.

Crain’s New York Business reports that the tragic bus wreck has prompted federal officials to call for a wider investigation into the regulation of the discount bus industry and to determine whether more could have been done to prevent the fatal crash of the World Wide Tours bus.

The revelations prompted Governor Andrew Cuomo to launch a state investigation into how the driver was able to hold a valid commercial driver’s license at the time of the crash.

The coach, owned by World Wide Travel, was taking gamblers home to Chinatown, Manhattan, from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. The vehicle, carrying 32 people, was sheared in half by a sign pole after overturning on the highway.

The driver told police at the scene that the coach was clipped by an 18-wheeler but investigators found no evidence backing his story. Passengers contradicted his account and told officers that the bus driver dozed off at the wheel several times before the bus careened out of control.

World Wide Travel has declined to comment but a spokesman for the tour industry said that the safety record for discount bus is the same as for traditional, more regulated bus companies.