Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

The owner of Illini Tours, Robert L. Frazier, is also the owner of Lex Express Inc./Lincolnland Express, a passenger carrier ordered to shut down by FMCSA in December 2012 for multiple violations, including making false entries on vehicle maintenance records.

Safety investigators found that Autobuses Zacatecanos failed to ensure that its vehicles were systematically and properly inspected, repaired and maintained. Onsite inspections of the carrier’s four buses revealed such numerous and serious safety violations that all four vehicles were immediately declared out of service.

This is the first shutdown of a passenger carrier following the deployment earlier this month of more than 50 specially trained safety investigators targeting high-risk passenger carriers.

Between Nov. 19 and Nov. 23, enforcement personnel placed a total of 19 motorcoaches and 10 drivers out of service for various safety violations.

Between 2000 and 2009, FMCSA issued a total of 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe carriers out of service. In just the last two years, FMCSA has already issued another 14 imminent hazard orders to take carriers that pose an immediate risk to passengers off the road.

The imminent hazard order applies to all officers and future companies affiliated with both JCT Motor Coach Inc. and JT’s Travel & Charter Inc.

Sky Express was involved in a fatal crash on I-95 near Fredericksburg, Va. Tuesday that killed four people. FMCSA is working closely with the Virginia State Police to investigate the causes of the crash.

On March 14, 2011, Super Luxury Tours was involved in a fatal New Jersey Turnpike crash that killed two people. FMCSA’s investigation of the bus company’s involvement in the crash is ongoing.