Bus company in deadly crash has long history of vehicle maintenance problems

The company operating the bus that crashed on Highway 99 in Merced County early Tuesday morning has a long history of serious maintenance violations and was under review by federal authorities, according to records reviewed by KPCC. The crash killed five and injured more than two dozen passengers. 

During the last two years, the carrier, Autobuses Coordinados USA Inc., has been cited for 44 vehicle maintenance violations — everything from worn or missing steering components to inoperative headlamps — ranking it in the bottom quarter of bus companies nationwide. Seventeen of the violations were severe enough that the bus or driver had to be immediately removed from the road.

"That means the FMCSA — the agency that governs commercial motor vehicles — should have been taking some kind of intervention action to improve the company's safety," said Henry Jasny, Vice-President for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington D.C.-based group that lobbies for improved bus safety.

Duane DeBruyne, a spokesman for FMCSA, declined to comment. Attempts to reach anyone at Autobuses Coordinados USA Inc., which is based in Fresno but has an office in East Los Angeles, were unsuccessful. 

The bus started its journey in Mexico and was headed to Washington state. It stopped in Los Angeles Monday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The bus had recently been cited for numerous violations. In April, an inspection revealed that the bus lacked or had defective braking devices and didn't have seats that folded down to allow passengers to quickly get out in an emergency. Last year, inspectors found that the same bus had broken lights as well as a damaged windshield.

"It tells us this bus isn't being maintained in top condition," said Jasny. "The company that owns this bus is not spending a lot of money on keeping these buses fit."

In addition to maintenance problems, Jasny says another likely factor in the crash is how the bus was built.

"It struck the upright of a highway sign, and that upright opened the bus like a can opener," said Jasny. "That probably shouldn't happen."

That's because the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act  (MESA), which Congress passed in 2012, included new standards for structural integrity. However, federal regulators have yet to issue the new rules, according to Jasny.

"Basically they've been slow walking this proposal through the regulatory process," said Jasny. "The agency is moving very slowing to improve the situation on the road for passengers."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated Autobuses Coordinados USA Inc. has been cited for 44 vehicle maintenance violations in the last three years. They've actually been cited 44 times in the last two years.