HUDSON COUNTY — Rep. Albio Sires met with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Anne S. Ferro recently to discuss issues related to a recent bus crash in West New York, which resulted in the death of an 8-month-old girl. The FMCSA is the federal agency responsible for regulating commercial motor vehicles, including commuter busses.
In the meeting, Congressman Sires expressed his concerns about ongoing safety violations by drivers of jitney busses throughout his district.
“The accident that took the life of a baby girl in West New York this summer is clear evidence that gaps exist in our nation’s commuter bus safety policies. It is critical that we review the current business model, which requires busses to compete on the road for passengers, and we must supply law enforcement with the tools they need to ensure the rules of the road are being obeyed,” said Congressman Sires. “I am pleased to have begun a dialogue with regulators at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and look forward to continuing our efforts to identify legislative solutions to improve safety for all of our nation’s commuters and pedestrians.”
This meeting was held in response to an Aug. 7 press conference in West New York in which Congressman Sires vowed to call for stricter regulations for drivers and bus companies. Among other elected officials present at that press conference were : State Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-32), Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-32), Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (D-32), Assemblyman Charles Mainor (D-31), West New York Mayor Felix Roque, Guttenberg Mayor Gerry Drasheff, Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, Hudson County Freeholder Chairman Anthony Romano, Hudson County Freeholder Junior Maldanado
Sires presses feds for tighter jitney regulation
