Record keeping is for chumps

In December a Canadian tour bus full of Asian and Asian-American tourists crashed near Pendleton. Nine passengers were killed and dozens injured. The weather conditions had been poor, and the driver, who also served as the tour guide, was allegedly going too fast for the conditions. A number of passengers have filed lawsuits against Mi Joo Tour & Travel, the tour company.

The Oregonian reports that the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure completed a safety audit of Mi Joo in early January and found the tour company to be in violation of a number of laws and rules. As a result, the Ministry has ordered Mi Joo to cease operations in Canada until the situation is resolved. The company had already been banned from operating in the United States after the crash.

Among Mi Joo’s numerous violations was the failure to record driver hours on the road. Canadian law allows commercial drivers to drive no more than 70 hours in eight days. Mi Joo also did not keep adequate maintenance records or trip inspection reports.

Mi Joo has responded to the Ministry’s audit and said it would make corrections and cooperate. The agency hopes to be back on the roads sometime in April.