DOT shuts down 52 bus companies

The Department of Transportation is shutting down 52 bus companies as part of a crackdown on safety that has been dubbed “Operation Quick Strike,” the agency announced.

The crack was carried out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which said it spent eight months investigating bus companies that were suspected of violating safety rules.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the bus crack down was part of his agency’s overriding commitment to safety.

{mosads}”Bus travel is increasingly popular because it is a convenient, inexpensive option for students, groups and families,” Foxx said in a statement. “But it must also be safe. Through Operation Quick Strike and our regular enforcement efforts, we’re shutting down companies that put passengers at risk and educating the public on safe motorcoach travel.”

The motor carrier safety agency said it inspected 214 bus operators during its initiative, and the agency said it shut down 20 companies immediately.

The FMCSA said that another 32 companies were given warnings and labeled “unsatisfactory” before later being shut down for not making improvements. Twenty-eight bus companies that were targeted in the crackdown made fixes to avoid being shut down, the agency said.

The motor carrier safety agency said its inspections resulted in 340 out of more than 1,300 buses that were inspected being pulled off the road.