NTSB -- NTSB STUDY SHOWS RAPID GROWTH OF CURBSIDE CARRIERS POSES CHALLENGES FOR EFFECTIVE SAFETY OVERSIGHT

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 31, 2011

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NTSB STUDY SHOWS RAPID GROWTH OF CURBSIDE CARRIERS POSES

CHALLENGES FOR EFFECTIVE SAFETY OVERSIGHT

Curbside carriers have higher fatal accident and driver out

of service rates than other carriers

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NEW YORK - National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman was joined today by U.S.

Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Congresswoman Nydia M.

Velázquez to release the results of a six-month study on

curbside motorcoach safety initiated following a series of

accidents in this rapidly growing industry.

The study - requested by Senator Schumer and Representative

Velázquez following the March 12, 2011, bus crash in the

Bronx that killed 15 and injured 18 more - highlights key

safety issues related to this fast-growing segment of the

transportation industry.

"Business and safety practices within the growing curbside

bus industry create challenges for enforcement authorities

and consumers alike when it comes to separating the safe

operators from the unsafe operators," Chairman Hersman said

during today's press conference.

"It's abundantly clear that the oversight of this industry

has not kept pace with its growth and the consequences have

been deadly," said Senator Schumer. "The NTSB report is a

wake-up call that we need a more rigorous regulatory regime

and it provides a blueprint for how to fill the gaps. I want

to thank Chairman Hersman for so quickly and efficiently

responding to our goal and I look forward to working with

her as we now begin the process of working to overhaul how

this industry is regulated and monitored."

"When travelers board a bus, they should feel safe, whether

the trip starts in a terminal or at a Chinatown sidewalk,"

said Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez(D-NY). "The NTSB study has

revealed important information about curbside motorcoach

travel and, in the coming weeks, we'll need to continue

working to improve the safety regulations that govern this

growing industry."

This report is the first comprehensive evaluation of the

motorcoach industry, with an emphasis on what are commonly

known as curbside carriers. Curbside motorcoach operations

consist of scheduled trips that begin or end at locations

other than traditional bus terminals; most of these

operations pick up or discharge passengers at one or more

curbside locations. The study analyzed the Federal Motor

Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) data and conducted

field work, which included interviews, focus groups, and

observations of compliance reviews and inspections.

Key study findings include:

· In general, motorcoach travel is safe. However,

curbside carriers with ten or fewer buses AND carriers

who have been in business for ten years or less, have

higher accident rates and higher roadside inspection

violation rates.

· The fatal accident rate for curbside carriers from

January 2005 to March 2011 was 7 times that of

conventional bus operations: 1.4 fatal accidents per

100 vehicles for curbside carriers compared with 0.2

fatal accidents per 100 vehicles for conventional

scheduled carriers.

· The exclusion of buses from routine enroute

inspections - especially of curbside carriers that

don't operate from terminals - reduces opportunities

to discover safety violations.

· The FMCSA is overburdened. For example, 878 FMCSA and

state personnel are responsible for compliance reviews

for more than 765,000 U.S. motor carriers, a ratio of

1.15 investigators per 1,000 motor carriers.

· Bus driver fatigue, a contributing factor in many

accidents, is a continuing safety concern.

· There is a lack of transparency in ticket sales. More

than conventional carriers, curbside operators use

online bus brokers. FMCSA has no authority to regulate

these brokers.

"Motorcoach safety is on the NTSB's Most Wanted List because

of the potential for high-consequence accidents like we saw

in the Bronx," said Chairman Hersman. "It's time to

recognize that traditional transportation services have

morphed into new business models that challenge existing

regulatory constructs. I want to thank Senator Schumer and

Congresswoman Velázquez for their leadership on this

important safety issue."

Since March 2011, the NTSB has initiated investigations into

two curbside bus crashes and has been assessing safety

issues in three others. These five accidents resulted in 22

fatalities and 159 injuries.

This study and its Executive Summary are available online

at: http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safetystudies/SR1102.html

Contact: NTSB Public Affairs

Nicholas Worrell, (202) 320-3907

nicholas.worrell@xxxxxxxx

#NTSB#

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an

independent federal agency charged with determining the

probable cause of transportation accidents and promoting

transportation safety, and assisting victims of

transportation accidents and their families.

For more information, visit: www.ntsb.gov.

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