The Motor Carriers Accountability Act, introduced in the House Tuesday, would require motor carriers to lessen hardships due to unwarranted and excessive passenger delays in interstate motor carrier transportation.
Motor carriers would be required to create and implement a contingency plan for passenger delays that last for three or more hours to reduce hardships due to unwarranted and excessive passenger delays. The plan must include operable lavatory facilities at stations, providing passengers with adequate food and water, and a full refund of passengers’ tickets if there is a delay and provide the remainder of the trip to the passenger without charge.
“I am filing this legislation because of the absence of accountability to hold common carriers responsible for abandoning passengers,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who introduced the bill, said. “This issue has occurred several times in Jackson, Miss., as well as other parts of the country. The facilities are often unsanitary and inhumane, and the companies fail to offer passengers food or shelter to accommodate their delay.”
Bus travel is the third most popular choice for long-distance travel, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Bus travel is seen as being the cheapest and most efficient mode of transportation for travelers.