KESQ investigates tour bus safety following deadly crash

UPDATE: 10:15 p.m.

For nearly a decade, Chuck Xaudaro said his office has been behind a wheel with Lin Lines in Palm Springs.

“I thought why not, that sounds good,” Xaudaro said. “Run up to Vegas or something. Well, it turned from being a little part-time job into a full-time career.”

But last October marked a hard time in his career, when a tour bus crashed on I-10 killed 13 and injured nearly three dozen others. The crash was about half of a mile away from Xaudaro’s bus yard.

“I saw that there had been a bus crash, and it was here in the desert,” Xaudaro said. “My first thought was my heart sank. ‘Oh my gosh it’s right outside my yard. I hope it’s not one of my buses.”

The bus that crashed was on an overnight trip to a Valley casino from the Los Angeles area.

While transportation officials are still looking for answers, drivers like Tim Adams are shifting towards promoting more safety after a crash he believes may have been the result of driver error.

“Did they get enough rest the night before,” Adams said. “Did they have the eight-hour break that they’re legally supposed to have? Did they eat well? What is their physical condition? All of those things are a big parameter when you get behind the wheel. It doesn’t take much to be complacent, and end up not having enough time to react to a situation that’s in front of you.”

One sector of their safety program is constant inspections. Lin Lines mechanic Ed Nichols heads up the state and federally required routine checks before their buses hit the streets.

One big thing is brakes, tires, emergency exits, making sure those are all in good operating condition,” Nichols said. “The brakes, for sure, are one of the biggest things that we look at. We spend anywhere from four to six maybe eight hours per inspection on each bus when we bring them in.”

The other concern are the drivers.

Xaudaro said their company uses a system called Zonar, which allows him to keep a close eye on those behind the wheel.

“No longer do we use a paper log,” Xaudaro said. “When you get in the bus, the bus actually starts logging what you’re doing immediately. And, you have no way of changing it. So, as far as I’m going, I’m looking at this log on my computer as they’re driving in real time. I can tell if they’re driving too fast, if they’ve been driving too long, whatever. And, I can send them a message. Slow down, take a break, whatever it is that I need to tell them.”

While drivers are required by law to take an eight-hour break at the end of each trip, Xaudaro said trips like the bus that crashed was on could have a loophole.

“You have 15 hours to work, and you have 10 hours to drive,” Xaudaro said. “So, if they could do that whole process that they just did. That whole job out to the casino and back, and within that 10 hours driving time, then they would still be legal. Maybe not smart, but legal.”

With hidden cameras in tow, KESQ decided to ride along on a trip similar to the bus that crashed was on.

We found a company offering that ride out of the East Los Angeles area. The company, Pacific Bus Line, was cited as having violations related to controlled substances, and was above the threshold for vehicle maintenance, according to the SaferBus app offered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The ride was about 11 hours round trip from L.A. out to a Valley casino.

After leaving around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, we made a few stops to fill the bus completely, all while being treated to music, food and some games like Bingo along the way.

After arriving at the casino around 11 p.m., we went outside to check on the bus around 1:30 a.m. The bus was parked with no signs of the driver inside.

After leaving the casino around 3:30 a.m., the drive back was fairly smooth and quiet. Most passengers caught up on sleep, while the driver continued through the night.

We made it back to Los Angeles around 6 a.m. Sunday. Overall, a safe trip, which Adams at Lin Lines said he hopes all companies drive home with their employees.

“Find out what your driver is doing before you let them behind that wheel,” Adams said. “Make sure he’s qualified, and he’s ready for that day’s work so that he can continue on. Because he has a family of his own.”

For more information on the SaferBus app, click here.

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ORIGINAL STORY: 1:14 p.m.

KESQ News Channel 3’s I-Team Investigation is looking into tour bus safety in the Coachella Valley in the wake of the tragic accident that occurred on Sunday, October 23.

The tour bus involved in the deadly crash was found to be out of safety compliance. Thirteen people died in the accident.

Zak Dahlheimer is looking into the steps our local tour bus companies are taking right now to ensure your safety. You can watch the special report on Tuesday at 11 p.m. on KESQ News Channel 3.