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How to Check Out Your Bus Company

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Sunday, September 17, 2006

· Go to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Web site, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ . From the home page, under "Safety & Security," click on "Company Safety Snapshot," then on "Name." You find a bit of information about the company and the company's rating -- satisfactory, conditional or unsatisfactory -- and a date when inspectors gave the rating.

The site also shows how many crashes the company has had, but it may be outdated. For example, although Fung Wah had an accident that injured more than 30 people on Sept. 5, the company was showing no accidents as of last week.

· Click at the bottom of the company safety snapshot to see if the company has authority to operate and carries insurance.

· If there is no record of the company, or if the company is said to have no authority to operate and no insurance, it could mean the company has changed its corporate name. In that case, call the bus company and ask for its corporate name.

· Ask the company for the names of the subcontractors it uses, so you can check the rating of those bus companies, too.

· At the curb, talk to the driver. If he doesn't speak English, ask yourself, "Would I feel safe driving in a country with signs only in a foreign language, especially in a foreign alphabet?"

-- Cindy Loose

How to Check Out Your Bus Company

· Go to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Web site, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov . From the home page, under "Safety & Security," click on "Company Safety Snapshot," then on "Name." You find a bit of information about the company and the company's rating -- satisfactory, conditional or unsatisfactory -- and a date when inspectors gave the rating.

The site also shows how many crashes the company has had, but it may be outdated. For example, although Fung Wah had an accident that injured more than 30 people on Sept. 5, the company was showing no accidents as of last week.

· Click at the bottom of the company safety snapshot to see if the company has authority to operate and carries insurance.


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