Feds shut down Utah bus company for unsafe vehicles

Feds shut down Utah bus company for unsafe vehicles

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Update: A spokesperson for Deseret Bus responded early Saturday confirming it had been issued a cease operations order and that it was "in the process of submitting an administrative review request for the change in safety rating in accordance with DOT rules and regulations." They also claimed initial information was inaccurate but did not elaborate.WOODS CROSS — A local bus company that transported children has been shut down by the federal government after failing to comply with a 2014 order to make its vehicles safe.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reviewed Deseret Bus Service in 2013 and found safety violations in many of the vehicles, according to a press release from the FMCSA. The FMCSA upgraded the company's safety rating in June 2014 after it submitted a safety management plan to upgrade its vehicles.

"Between January and May 2015, Deseret was subject to 15 vehicle inspections," Friday's press release stated. "On seven occasions, safety inspectors found serious violations that posed a risk to public safety and required vehicles to be placed out-of-service. Safety violations included defective brakes and brake warning systems, insufficient tire-tread, broken leaf springs, and exhaust leaks."

According to its website, Deseret Bus Service provided transportation for children attending the Legacy Preparatory Academy during the 2014-2015 school year.

Deseret Bus Service was ordered to stop operating all vehicles by July 20, and the FMCSA has revoked its operating registration. Operating in violation of an out-of-service order without federal operating authority and a USDOT number can result in fines of up to $60,000 as well as criminal penalties. If convicted, those penalties could including $25,000 in fines and up to one year in jail for each unauthorized bus transportation.

Travelers can check a company's safety record for free by using the FMCSA's SaferBus mobile app. Consumers and whistleblowers can report an unsafe bus company, vehicle or driver through the FMCSA hotline at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7239) or by visiting nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov.

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Tracie Snowder

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