FMCSA Shuts Down NY-based All Nations Coach, Inc.
FMCSA 47-13
FMCSA Shuts Down NY-based All Nations Coach, Inc.
Staten Island carrier was reincarnation of another company ordered shut down in 2012
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that Staten Island, N.Y.-based All Nations Coach, Inc. (USDOT No. 2093932), one of two unrelated bus companies that had stranded New York City-bound passengers in Virginia following a mechanical breakdown last month, has had its operating authority revoked for violations of federal safety regulations. The company was served the federal orders July 1, 2013.
“There is no place on our highways and roads for bus operators who disregard safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Passengers should be able to trust that the company they use will be able to get them to their destination in a safe and timely manner.”
In June 2013, a team of specially trained FMCSA safety investigators launched an investigation of All Nations Coach, which operated 16 motorcoaches and provided passenger service in the eastern U.S.
On July 1, 2013, FMCSA ordered All Nations Coach to provide evidence that it was not a reincarnation of Tichy Express, Inc., (USDOT No. 1887890), which had been placed out of service by FMCSA in 2012 for multiple violations of federal safety regulations and for failure to pay $5,400 assessed in civil penalties. All Nations Coach was given 21 days to petition for an administrative review of FMCSA’s order.
On July 16, 2013, an All Nations Coach motorcoach traveling from Charlotte, N.C., to New York City broke down along Interstate 95 in Caroline County, Va., at approximately 12:00 a.m. Fifty-three passengers were later transported to a truck stop by state and local authorities where they waited approximately 24 hours for a replacement motorcoach to arrive.
On July 22, 2013, FMCSA executed its Out-of-Service and Records Consolidation Order and the federal operating authority of All Nations Coach was revoked. A copy of the All Nations Coach Operations Out-of-Service and Records Consolidation Order can be viewed at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/about/news/2013/AllNationsCoach.pdf
“Bus or truck companies cannot dismiss federal safety obligations, including civil penalties, by simply ‘reinventing’ themselves and operating under a new name,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Companies that attempt this will be found out and shut down. They will not be allowed to continue to disregard safety rules and potentially put every traveler on our highways and roads at risk.”
This action becomes the 16th out-of-service order issued by FMCSA since the deployment in April 2013 of more than 50 "Operation Quick Strike" safety investigators targeting high-risk passenger carriers.
In the past three months, FMCSA has also revoked the operating authority of ten additional bus companies following compliance review investigations that resulted in an “unsatisfactory” safety rating.
Since the beginning of 2013, FMCSA has issued out-of-service orders to a total of 23 bus companies and nine trucking companies. The agency has also declared seven commercial driver's license holders as imminent hazards, blocking them from operating in interstate commerce.
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As part of FMCSA's work to make safety data readily available to the traveling public, the SaferBus mobile app gives bus riders a quick and free way to review a bus company's safety record before buying a ticket or booking group travel. The SaferBus app, available for iPhone, iPad and Android phone users, can be downloaded for free by visiting FMCSA's “Look Before You Book” webpage at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/saferbus.
Travelers planning a bus trip are also encouraged to think safety first before buying a ticket or chartering a bus by using FMCSA's multilingual passenger carrier safety checklist at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/pcs/Index.aspx.
FMCSA urges consumers and whistleblowers to report any unsafe bus company, vehicle or driver to the agency through a toll free hotline 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) or FMCSA's consumer complaint web site: http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/HomePage.asp.
Consumers who bought a ticket on a bus company that FMCSA has recently placed out-of-service may be entitled to a credit from their credit card company under the Fair Credit Billing Act if they paid for the ticket by credit card. For more information visit: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/pcs/bus-credit-refund.aspx.
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