Local bus companies are transporting hundreds of thousands of people all over the region, but are you riding at your own risk?
Years after crashes and a bus fire put the Fung Wah bus line in the headlines, FOX Undercover looked at bus inspection data from the federal government and found the companies with the worst vehicles and drivers in the state.
Fung Wah and its string of problems is no longer making news, and records show its record has improved, but the US Department of Transportation lists numerous other companies as having potentially problematic safety records.
FOX Undercover caught up with a member of the Massachusetts State Police truck team, who had just inspected a bus and found unsafe conditions.
"This particular bus is unsafe to be on the road," said Trooper Loming Chan as he inspected a bus undercarriage.
The State Police truck team's inspections are sent to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which compiles safety ratings based on the last two years of inspections. FOX Undercover found Massachusetts motor coach companies the government considers "a higher safety risk."
The higher the number, the worse the score, and a high score puts the public in danger, according to Joe Mokrisky, a transportation safety consultant.
"They have an obligation to their customers whether it's a trucking company or a bus company, to operate that vehicle within the range of the regulations. If they don't follow the regulations, that puts everyone at risk," Mokrisky said.
One category tracked is vehicle maintenance. The worst-ranked Massachusetts company for vehicle maintenance was LimoLiner, which scored 98.7 percent, meaning the company performed worse than 98.7 percent of all other Massachusetts bus companies.
LimoLiner was followed by Colonial Tours, which scored 95.2 percent. Gokey and Quinn scored 90.8 percent; Fisher Bus scored 83%; and Nevarez Tours scored 82.7 percent.
"Vehicle maintenance is just plain and simple how you maintain your vehicle. Do you have a system to bring that vehicle in? To adjust brakes?" Mokrisky said.
Another category is fatigued driving. LimoLiner is back on the list, sharing the worst score with Strong Corporation, 87.8 percent. Colonial Tours was at 86.6 percent; Lucky River at 78.8 percent and Kum Gang Tours was at 77.6 percent.
"Driving too much, too long, too many hours. They're working too many hours in the course of a day. Or they could be driving behind the wheel too long. Or just have not completed their logbook in accordance with the regulations," Mokrisky said.
A third category is unsafe driving. Nevarez Tours tops that list with a 69.2 percent score. That was followed by Tremblay's Bus Company at 66.4 percent; LimoLiner at 62.3 percent; Brush Hill Transportation Company at 60.8 percent; and Strong Corporation at 56.9 percent.
"Unsafe driving is basically what the driver does behind the wheel. How does he act behind the wheel? Does he run stoplights? Does he speed a lot?" Mokrisky said.
LimoLiner was featured in a 2005 FOX 25 story, showcased as a way to ride in style between Boston and New York. Now it's the only Massachusetts bus company on the worst list in all three categories.
"It doesn't look like it's just a fluke if they're listed in three separate categories," Mokrisky said. "That comes down to the management practice."
A spokesperson for LimoLiner tells FOX Undercover,the company has worked diligently in recent months to address all maintenance issues.
LimoLiner owner Fergus McCann added in a statement: "Our greatest concern is passenger safety and we are proud of safely transporting more than 30,000 passengers per year on this route. On recent years, the only sanction or fine imposed on LimoLiner followed a minor accident (involving an empty Liner returning to base) in which the driver was held responsible, along with a management error regarding new driver testing.
LimoLiner has recently brought on board a new general manager with extensive transportation management experience. Our GM's top priority is to ensure LimoLiner meets or exceeds all safety standards. "
Another company, Nevarez Tours, tops the unsafe driving list.
"Why are you number one on this list?" asked FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet.
"It's impossible to be number one on the list. It simply is," replied owner Anne Grealish.
Grealish says the government website includes inaccurate information about her company and she questions how the scores are calculated.
"Unfortunately the new system isn't working at 100 percent. There are violations on there that are not safety related that are affecting people's score dramatically," she said.
Mokrisky says people planning to ride a bus should do their homework.
"Would you put a loved one in any of those vehicles?" Beaudet asked.
"No. I think it's very important for anyone that's going to take any kind of passenger trip to be sure that the vehicle is safe, that the company has a good record. Because we've seen in a lot of past stories the tragedies that can happen with unsafe operations," Mokrisky said.
FOX Undercover contacted all the bus companies mentioned in this report. Some did not want to comment. Others, including representatives from Strong Corporation, Tremblay's Motor Coach, and Gokey and Quinn Bus Company questioned the grading system used by the federal government.
Fisher Bus tells us safety is a priority and points out that its safety rating is considered satisfactory. Colonial Tours says it's working hard to improve its score.
For more information on safety information on passenger carrying vehicles: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov