A spot check of tour buses operating in Rocky Mountain National Park this week found three violations, including one bus that had faulty brakes.
The violations resulted in immediate suspension of service — halting the buses — until corrections were made, said Steve Kleszczynski, a spokesman with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Lakewood.
FMCSA staffers, Colorado State Patrol, N.M. Motor Transportation Police Division and park staff carried out the spot inspections on Wednesday.
Nine tour buses operated in the park by Rocky Mountain Transit Management Inc. were checked, and two buses failed.
One bus had defective brakes and the other an exhaust leak under the passenger carrier. Both buses were fixed on the spot, Kleszczynski said.
The third violation involved a driver who should have been wearing hearing aides but was not. The driver was allowed to operate the bus after locating the hearing aides and using them.
“We want to make sure that all the buses that operate in the park are safe,” Kleszczynski said.
The coach company was able to fix the violations immediately, Kleszczynski said.
No fines were issued.
The tour buses offer sight-seeing trips through the park, including on Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in North America.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
