PUC Takes Final Step to Strengthen Tour Bus Safety

The California Public Utilities Commission took the final step this week to strengthen safety regulation of the charter bus industry as a result of a tour bus crash last May that killed 21 elderly Southern Californians.

The PUC action Wednesday directed closer cooperation of the commission staff with the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Motor Vehicles. All three agencies have some jurisdiction over bus operations in California.

Following the May 30 bus crash in Mono County, tough new state laws were adopted with the aim of forcing higher safety standards on the tour bus industry and requiring closer monitoring by public agencies.

Investigators allege that Ernst A. Klimeck, 47, driver of the Starline Sightseeing Tours bus that crashed, was speeding, driving without a valid commercial license and had eight speeding tickets on his record at the time of the accident. Klimeck has been charged with 45 criminal counts, including vehicular manslaughter and Vehicle Code violations.

New state laws that went into effect Jan. 1 require the three agencies to work together to enforce a stricter set of bus safety and driver qualification regulations. In addition, beginning July 1, charter drivers must pass special tour bus driver tests, in addition to having a valid Class II commercial driver’s license, officials said.

The new laws require charter companies to periodically check their drivers’ license records with the DMV. Smaller companies must check every six months; companies with 500 or more drivers can make the checks yearly. In addition, the DMV must automatically report any traffic violation convictions by a driver to the driver’s employer, according to Bernida Childers, DMV spokeswoman.

Charter bus drivers will no longer be allowed to accumulate more violations or accidents on their driving records than the average motorist. Each violation or accident adds one point to a driver’s record. Like motorists, tour bus drivers receiving four points in one year, six in two years or eight in three, will lose their licenses, Childers said.

Under the new laws, charter bus companies must inspect their buses every 45 days, or have the inspections done, and certify that the equipment is safe. If periodic CHP investigations turn up safety violations or incomplete drivers’ license records, the patrol must recommend that the carrier’s permit be suspended, said Linn Holmes, CHP motor carrier specialist.

New PUC charter bus permit applications and renewal forms will require the carriers to certify that they have complied with all DMV and CHP safety regulations. These forms advise the carriers that their authority to operate will be suspended or revoked for any failure to meet the new regulations, said Bill Well of the PUC’s transportation division.