How to check a charter bus company before you book
FMCSA's “Look Before You Book” checks in plain English: authority, insurance, inspections and safety rating.
Booking a bus for a school trip, a church retreat or a wedding means trusting a company with dozens of people on the highway. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) runs a campaign called Look Before You Book urging group planners to check a bus company's record first. Everything you need is public and free. Here is how to do it.
1. Get the USDOT number
Every interstate for-hire passenger carrier has a USDOT number. Ask the company for it and for the exact legal name. Searching by number is more reliable than by name: many bus companies operate under a trade name, and several companies can have similar names. Every listing on this site shows the USDOT number and links to the FMCSA record.
2. Confirm operating authority on SAFER
Look the number up on FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot. Check that:
- Entity type is Carrier — the company runs its own buses. A Broker arranges trips with other operators; ask which operator will actually drive your group.
- Operating status is authorized, and Out of Service Date is blank. An out-of-service order means the company must not operate.
- Carrier operation covers your trip. An intrastate-only operator should not carry you across a state line.
- Cargo carried includes Passengers.
3. Check insurance
Federal rules set minimum public liability insurance for interstate passenger carriers: $5,000,000 for any vehicle seating 16 or more including the driver, and $1,500,000 for vehicles seating 15 or fewer (49 CFR 387.33T). SAFER links to FMCSA's Licensing & Insurance record showing whether insurance is on file. Ask the operator for a certificate of insurance too, and have your organisation named as certificate holder if your school or employer requires it.
4. Read the safety record in context
FMCSA issues a safety rating only after an on-site compliance review. Satisfactory is the highest; Conditional means problems were found on the review date; Unsatisfactory generally leads to an out-of-service order. Many carriers have never been reviewed and show no rating, which is normal. Always note the date of the rating.
The snapshot also lists roadside inspections for vehicles and drivers over the last 24 months, and the percentage placed out of service compared with the national average. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (linked from SAFER) groups violations into categories such as unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance, vehicle maintenance and driver fitness. A few inspections are too small a sample to judge; a consistent pattern of maintenance or driver violations deserves a question.
5. Match the fleet to your group
Operators report their fleet to FMCSA on the MCS-150 form. A company listing two limousines is unlikely to supply three 56-seat coaches on its own; if it quotes you for them, ask whether it is subcontracting and to whom, then check that company too.
6. Ask about the driver and the plan
- Will one driver cover the whole itinerary within federal hours-of-service limits, or will there be a relief driver?
- Does the driver hold a commercial driver's licence with a passenger endorsement? (Required for vehicles designed to carry 16 or more people including the driver.)
- Who pays for the driver's hotel room on overnight trips?
Red flags
- The company won't give a USDOT number, or the number belongs to a different name.
- The price is far below other quotes with no explanation.
- The operator can't provide a certificate of insurance.
- The quoted vehicle doesn't match anything in the operator's reported fleet, and it won't say who will operate the trip.
- Pressure to pay the full amount in cash well in advance.
7. Report problems
Safety or service complaints go to FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database, or call 1-888-368-7238. If a bus looks unsafe on the day — bald tyres, warning lights, a driver who seems impaired — you can refuse to board and report it.