Charter bus industry is virtually left unregulated

The bus that crashed and killed eight people on a Colusa County road was operated in a poorly regulated segment of the nation's transportation system with a patchwork of state and federal rules and spotty enforcement.

Safety advocates and bus industry experts said Tuesday tour bus companies that transport gamblers to casinos don't always follow government regulations designed to assure passenger safety.

"Some of these rogue operations literally do pickups in alleys where they are trying to keep out of the sight of federal and state authorities," said Eron Shosteck, spokesman at the American Bus Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that represents about 1,000 motorcoach and tour companies in the U.S. and Canada.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether the bus involved in Sunday's crash at Lone Star and Abel roads was inspected annually, as required by law.

The crash occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday when Quintin J. Watts, the driver of a chartered bus carrying 43 passengers from Sacramento to the Colusa Casino Resort, veered off a rural road for unknown reasons. An off-duty Colusa County sheriff's deputy, who was traveling south on Lone Star, told the CHP the driver overcorrected and the bus rolled, landing in a ditch.

Watts, 52, of Stockton, was arrested Monday on suspicion of felony driving under the influence. He has a history of substance abuse and motor vehicle crashes, according to records from the state Department of Corrections.

Watts declined interview requests, but his family issued a statement through Woodland Memorial Hospital, where he is recovering from injuries sustained in the crash. He is in fair condition.

"We would like to share our condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and also let everyone know we are praying for those who are still in the hospital," the family statement said.

Watts' adoptive parents said they were told by friends and family members that the company's operator, Daniel Cobb, 68, of Sacramento, was Watts' stepfather. Cobb, who died in the crash, had been married to Watts' biological mother before she died about 10 years ago, said Cleval Watts, who adopted Quintin Watts when he was 6 months old. He added that Quintin Watts was diabetic and taking insulin.

All commercial buses that travel within California undergo annual inspections by the highway patrol, but in cases where companies don't have bus terminals, CHP Officer Scott Johnson said, "we don't go. If there's no terminal they don't respond."

A bus terminal couldn't be located for Cobbs Bus Service, which listed a Modesto church and a residence in Sacramento as its headquarters.

"Any reputable bus company will have a facility with service bays and customer service lounge," Shosteck said.

In California, bus operators must enroll their drivers in a state program that informs employers whenever a driver receives a ticket, gets in an accident or has his or her license suspended or revoked.

Watts didn't have the proper license to carry more than 10 passengers, said Mike Marando, a spokesman at the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Cobb, though, has been registered with the California Public Utilities Commission as charter operator since 1974.

Passengers told social workers that the bus driver appeared to have dozed off.

"The bus driver was sleepy and the bus swung to the left and right side. And they were yelling at him on the third swing when it turned over," said Theresa Saechao of Lao Family Community Development of Sacramento.