New York Buses Pulled Off the Road After Safety Inspection Uncovers Violations

By New York Post March 22, 2011 NEW YORK — Dozens of buses and drivers were yanked off the road in New York after surprise weekend safety inspections found a shocking number of violations, the New York Post reported Tuesday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) ordered the sweeping safety crackdown after the horrific March 12 budget tour bus crash in The Bronx, which killed 15 people heading back to New York’s Chinatown from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. Inspectors found that of the 26 buses and drivers pulled over at three Manhattan checkpoints, 16 had serious vehicle or driver violations and were taken out of service, marking 62 percent of those inspected, Cuomo said Monday. Seventy-two minor bus infractions also were issued in Manhattan during the inspection sweep. In other parts of New York State, 25 out of 138 buses or drivers had violations serious enough to be taken out of service, marking 18 percent. In all, 164 buses and drivers were inspected at 13 checkpoints throughout the state and at least 41 were ordered off the road. Ophadell Williams, 40, the driver involved in the horrific World Wide Tours bus crash on March 12, previously had his license suspended for allegedly using aliases when applying for a commercial driver’s license. He also has a criminal record for manslaughter and grand larceny.