SACRAMENTO (BCN) — Tour buses in California may be getting more rigorous inspections following the passage of legislation that was inspired by a tour bus crash in San Francisco’s Union Square last year that sent 20 people to the hospital.
Assembly Bill 1677, authored by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, was passed by the State Assembly with a 44-23 vote and now heads to the State Senate for further review, according to Ting’s office.
The legislation would increase tour bus safety by creating new local authority to ensure that more tour buses receive a standard state safety inspection.
The bill was formed after a Nov. 13. tour bus crash that occurred in San Francisco’s Union Square. In that incident, a double-decker bus carrying about 30 people crashed into a construction site’s scaffolding, injuring 20 people.
It was later discovered that the bus was not registered with the California Public Utilities Commission, and therefore did not undergo a safety inspection by the California Highway Patrol.
AB 1677 would enable the communities in which a tour bus operates to contract with the CHP to inspect the buses.
Currently, the CHP inspects about 30 percent of a tour bus company’s fleet every 13 months for safety regulations and licensing requirements. Ting’s bill would give communities a choice to reimburse CHP costs to increase the percentage of buses being inspected.
“People love San Francisco, which makes tourism the lifeblood of many local business and jobs. But we should not be powerless spectators when it comes to protecting those who live, work and visit our city,” Ting said in a statement.
“Dangerous tour buses fall through the cracks and we must save lives by getting more tour buses inspected.”