Stakeholders from all sides of the bus safety community convened March 5 to 6, during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) first ever “Bus Safety Summit,” and outlined eight priority areas for enhancing passenger carrier transportation.

Priority areas included an increased focus on new entrants that would require them to receive training and pass minimum standards; State-mandated annual bus inspection programs; and, possibly, requiring electronic on-board recorders to monitor bus driver hours of service.

During the two-day work session, held in Arlington, Va., representatives from CVSA; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); transportation operators and manufacturers; provincial, state and local government, brokers and insurers participated in the dialogue.

“While the industry is generally safe, we still need to focus on reducing risk and this clearly confirms there are a number of things we need to work on,” said CVSA Executive Director Stephen F. Campbell. “This provides all stakeholders more focus and direction on where we need to put our efforts. We can never be complacent about safety”

The outcomes from the summit are being used to formulate an action plan for CVSA to work with its partners in putting into place practical and real solutions to address the most pressing needs for enhancing bus safety.