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Feds To Start Tightening Regulations On Cheap Bus Travel
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 28, 2012
Modified Aug 28, 2012
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 28, 2012
Modified Aug 28, 2012
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If you're a big fan of bolting to Boston or Baltimore for a buck, you might be seeing some transportation changes soon—the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has stepped up oversight on bus companies like Megabus and Bolt, and will be ramping up regulations for intercity buses.
Once upon a time, if you wanted to snag an economical ride to some other exotic East Coast locale, you had to take your chances with the Chinatown bus, which, in our experience, was often late, cramped and rocked side to side suspiciously like the tree top cradle of lullaby fame. And our mother's panicked phone calls about the dangers of cheap buses were not unwarranted, since the Feds closed down 26 Chinatown bus lines in May following a number of serious accidents.
But increased popularity in bigger bus companies like Megabus and Bolt Bus has turned even more attention towards bus travel, especially as they add more and more cities and stops to their repertoire. Over the past two years, Megabus has added over 50 cities to its travel log, and BoltBus has established low fare service on the West Coast. “Up until about 15 months ago, every departure involved big, dense urban cities,” DePaul University transportation professor Joseph P. Schwieterman told the Times. "“Now they’re spreading out to all these other cities where everybody gets dropped off in a car.”
So what kind of changes can we frugal travelers expect? Increased fatal bus accidents have spurred the National Transportation Safety Board to recommend electric enforcement of driving-hour limits, stricter hiring regulations for drivers, and banning any and all cell phone use when driving with passengers. Bus stops may be moved from curbside locales to bigger bus depots. No word yet on whether prices will go up in the near future, though, so if you're really attached to that $20 ticket to D.C., now might be the time to buy in bulk.
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chinatown bus
megabus
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Rebecca Fishbein
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