Downtown Digest: Crash highlights urgency of bus bill

Downtown Express

Volume 20, Number 44

March 16 - 22, 2011

Crash highlights urgency of bus bill
A tour bus from Chinatown crashed on I-95 in the Bronx Saturday morning, killing 13 people and injuring a few dozen others.

The horrific accident prompted NY State Senator Daniel Squadron to press the Senate to move quickly in passing a bill he proposed in early February.

The proposed legislation would regulate intercity passenger buses through a permit system, which would include assigning pick-up and drop-off locations to bus drivers and provide for community input in regulating enforcement of the rules.

The bill, Squadron said, would create a new degree of oversight and help the city better implement federal safety regulations.

“As our entire community mourns the lives lost in the tragic bus crash this weekend, we must work to guarantee that crashes like this one do not happen ever again,” said Squadron.

“Inaction is not an option,” he said. “The federal, state and city governments must act now to keep passengers safe.”

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