A recently released federal report by the National Transportation Safety Board has highlighted the dangers of curbside buses versus traditional bus services. The curbside bus industry - which boasts cheap passenger fares - has a fatal accident rate that's seven times higher than other bus operations.
Curbside buses pick up their passengers on street corners, parking lots and in front of retail stores as opposed to traditional bus terminals. The report states that the fatal St. Louis bus accident attorney rate for curbside pickup services was 1.4 per 100 buses between 2005 and March 2011. This compares to a rate of just .02 percent for conventional bus operators. Also, curbside buses had higher rates of injury as well.
The city of St. Louis operates the MetroBus as part of the Metro Transit system. Like many cities across the country, many people take advantage of public bus transportation every day. In fact, 24 million riders used the St. Louis MetroBus system in 2010. With so many people using this system daily, the possibility for a rider to be injured or even killed is a real risk.
15 Killed in One Bus Accident
One recent accident in New York is an example of the dangers of curbside buses. In March 2011, 15 people were fatally wounded when a bus crossed over an 11-foot shoulder onto a roadside barrier. The front of the bus collided with a pole supporting a highway sign.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) works in conjunction with states to enforce the regulation of interstate bus companies. However, according to the report, 878 federal and state inspectors oversee 765,000 bus companies. This equates to one inspector for every 1,000 companies. This makes it extremely difficult for the Administration to effectively regulate the bus industry.
Inspections of bus companies can be burdensome and time consuming as well, especially if an inspector comes across a disorganized company. Other problems that come up according to the report are:
- Bus drivers falsifying their logbooks so they can drive more hours
- Carriers that continue operating even after being ordered to shut down
- Deficient address and telephone records that make it difficult to schedule inspections
Injuries that occur while using public transportation, like MetroBus, MetroLink or another system may entitle the victim to money damages for medical expenses, among other compensation. An experienced St. Louis bus accident attorney can further explain your rights if you or your family member has suffered injury while entering, riding or exiting a curbside bus system.
