Study Finds Curbside Coaches Less Safe Than Conventional Carriers « Houston Accident Attorney | Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Houston

Study Finds Curbside Coaches Less Safe Than Conventional Carriers

A new study by the National Transportation Safety Board has found that curbside carriers have a higher accident rate than conventional intercity bus companies that pick up passengers at terminals. The study also found that drivers of curbside carriers have much higher violation rates than drivers of other buses.

The National Transportation Safety Board report focused on motor coach safety after a deadly bus accident in New York killed 14 people earlier this year. The report focuses especially strongly on curbside carriers that pick up and drop passengers at points other than a bus terminal.

The report finds that although intercity bus carriers have a good safety record, curbside carriers have a much higher risk of accidents. In some cases, these accident risks are as high as seven times the risk of conventional carriers.

Curbside carriers typically provide Texas passengers cheaper and more convenient rides. In some cases, one-way fares on a curbside bus can be as low as between $1 and $5. Additionally, there is plenty of competition in the bus industry, and prices are continuing being slashed.

What has made safety problems involving curbside carriers more acute is the fact that federal, state and local officials lack the resources to inspect motor coaches as often as required. There are far too few inspectors to inspect the high number of buses on our roadways. As a result, many buses are not inspected, and many carriers are not subjected to compliance reviews or audits.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Houston bus accident lawyer, representing injured victims of bus accidents across Houston and nationwide.