Question: How Can I Find Out if My Tour Bus Is Safe to Ride?
Weve all seen examples of poor driving, unsafe vehicles and badly-maintained buses. These issues become very important when youre planning a motorcoach tour. How can you find out if your tour bus is really safe?
Answer:
In the United States, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) monitors interstate bus and truck safety. If you will be on a bus that crosses a state line, you can find out about your chosen tour company or charter bus by visiting the FMCSA's Passenger Carrier Safety page. Choose Click here to start your search to get to the Find a Carrier page. Enter your search parameters, such as carrier name or your ZIP code, in the boxes on the left side of the page. Your search will produce a list of carriers and you can choose the name of the company youre checking.
For example, if you enter U.S. and Greyhound in the State and Carrier Name fields, youll be taken to a page that explains the FMCSAs safety analysis and ratings processes and shows your search results at the bottom. Clicking on Greyhound Lines, Inc. will take you to the Greyhound data page, where you can review driver and vehicle safety statistics and see a graph that compares Greyhounds statistics to the national average.
If you cant find your tour companys name, you may wish to telephone them and ask if they contract with a charter company for their motorcoach services. Chances are good that youll be able to find the charter companys name in the FMCSA safety listings.
Tip: The FMCSA listings also include Canadian and Mexican companies if they also operate in the U.S.
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