Exhausted Bus Drivers Pose High Risk to Themselves and Passengers

A provision of the California Code of Regulations exempts tour bus drivers from receiving overtime payment, causing some drivers to work more than 70 hours a week, without additional compensation above their regular wage. The tour bus operators are now speaking out about their mistreatment under the state’s labor codes.

An aggravated tour bus driver, Ron, believes these companies “push their drivers beyond the legal limit and get away with it.” Ron works for Gold Coast Tours, based in Orange County, and said of his employer, “I have been used and abused by this company for too long.”

Ron drives a tour bus with seating for more than 16 passengers and the tour bus does not travel outside of the state of California. His hours are regulated by the Department of Industrial Relations, as well as the Department of Transportation. However, he describes the conditions that employees have worked up to 20 hours in one day before, without a break.