"If there's additional need for additional inspections it should be done by the CHP," said Aaron Read, a lobbyist for the California Association of Highway Patrolman. "Local agencies don't want this. They are strapped, they are hammered with work."
Instead, interested cities and counties will have to contract with the CHP for further inspections, which Ting says will not be duplicative.
"At any given time, only about 30 percent of the buses on the road are getting inspections annually," Ting said. "So it's not about getting those buses that are inspected additional inspection. It's about getting those 70 percent inspected."
Supervisors Still Support CHP Partnership
The bills were introduced by the three Bay Area legislators after the Nov. 13 tour bus crash in Union Square that injured 19 people. A subsequent San Francisco police investigation found the crash was caused by the driver, who was cited for speeding.
However, the reforms spurred by the crash moved ahead, and all three advanced past policy committees this week.
On Tuesday, members of the city's Board of Supervisors expressed support for AB 1677 even though the provision allowing for local bus inspections was removed.
"Ideally our localities would be able to inspect these tour buses, because we have the greatest stake in making sure that our cities are safe," said Supervisor Jane Kim. "As long as there are triggers and mechanisms to ensure that CHP has the resources to do these inspections on every single tour bus, then I'll have confidence that we will have safer tour buses in San Francisco."
Supervisor Norman Yee, who co-authored a board resolution supporting Ting's original language, said that contracting out the additional inspections to the CHP could also save the city money.
"It was never our intent that we needed to carry it our ourselves," Yee added. "It's more of getting more inspections done."
Provisions of Other Bus Bills
Sen. Jerry Hill's bill focuses on the current CHP bus inspection program, prioritizing inspections of operators with historically low ratings, and raising inspection fees that bus carriers pay.
"The goal is for the CHP to focus more of their efforts and limited resources on problematic and unsafe bus operators," Hill said.
Assemblyman David Chiu's AB 1574 aims to improve communication between state regulators to identify "ghost buses." That's the term given to buses registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles but not the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency that oversees charter buses.
The bill would require the DMV to notify the CPUC when a bus is registered and for the agencies to share identifying information.
All three tour bus safety bills now advance to the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees.
