NY lawmakers say NTSB will probe tour bus industry
Posted: 04.03.2011 at 4:01 PM
The Megabus crash on 9/11/10 in Syracuse has in part prompted a tour bus safety review
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(AP) -- The Megabus crash in Syracuse last year has in-part prompted an investigation into tour bus safety standards.

Two New York lawmakers say the National Transportation Safety Board will commence a broad investigation of the low-cost tour bus industry in the wake of a crash that killed 15 people.

The announcement Sunday by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez follows the March 12 crash of the bus on a New York City highway. NTSB officials say the driver was speeding before the crash. Velazquez also says previous accidents, like the one in Syracuse, prompted the investigation. 

Schumer says federal officials will review industry regulations and their enforcement.

The NTSB expects the review to be completed in six months. Schumer and Velazquez say legislation on amending regulations could follow.

A passenger says in a $200 million lawsuit that the driver was asleep at the wheel. The driver says he was well-rested and alert.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)