More than two dozen bus companies have been shut down by the federal government on the grounds that they violated numerous safety violations in transporting more than 1,800 passengers every day. The crackdown represents a major effort by the government to crack down on disregarded safety standards in the bus industry.

In total, buses operating in six different states were shut down because of the imminent bus accident risk posed by those companies. Although none of the companies' operations were in Louisiana, the crackdown could affect protocol of bus companies within the state as they look to avoid similar punishment.

The crackdown was delivered by officials representing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In addition to shutting down the bus companies, 10 people involved in the businesses were also banned from being involved in any of the business operations of passenger transportation companies.

Officials had been investigating the bus companies for at least a year prior to leveling the punishment.

Bus safety is a major concern in the United States because of the potential for mass injuries and fatalities when mass public transit companies fail to adhere to safety guidelines. More than 700 million passengers ride the bus every year in the United States, which is roughly equal to the number of customers flying on domestic airlines every year.

Officials said the companies that were banned had repeatedly gone out of their way to avoid compliance with federal safety standards. Some of the infractions included using drivers who lacked valid commercial driver's licenses, failing to regularly inspect vehicles and conduct repair and maintenance, and violating rest requirements for drivers, among others.

Source: Fox News, "Gov't cracking down on curbside bus companies," Associated Press, May 31, 2012