In Wake of Manhattan Double-Decker Tour Bus Crash on July 6, Senator Hoylman-Sigal Re-Releases His 2017 Report, Thrown Under the Bus: How Lax State Laws for Double-Decker Tour Buses are Endangering the Lives of New Yorkers

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D, WFP-Manhattan) said: “There’s no reason double-decker tour buses should operate under looser regulations than other New York City buses. As seen by the crash that occurred last night in Manhattan and sent 32 people to the hospital, tour buses pose a potential threat to public safety and should be more carefully regulated in order to keep our streets safe. 

Over five years ago, I released a report detailing how tour bus companies and their operators are subject to less oversight and training requirements than other buses. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since 2017 when the report was first issued. I’ll be revisiting these findings and proposing legislation to hold double-decker tour buses to the same standards of safety as every other bus in New York City.” 

The major findings of Senator Hoylman-Sigal’s 2017 report, Thrown Under the Bus: How Lax State Laws for Double-Decker Tour Buses are Endangering the Lives of New Yorkers, included:

• An exemption for New York City double-decker sightseeing buses in the New York State Transportation Law gives the state little to no enforcement power over these buses for violations of safety laws and regulations;

• A loophole in the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law means that drivers of double-decker sightseeing buses operating in New York City are not required by state law to be thoroughly vetted, undergo regular medical exams, or periodically retake driver’s tests, as other bus drivers must;

• The same loophole means that sightseeing bus operators are under no obligation to notify New York State of the identities of their drivers, or to report data about crashes to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles;

• New York City double-decker sightseeing bus drivers are exempt from provisions of state law that ban or restrict convicted sex offenders and drunk drivers from piloting other types of buses.