Updated June 16, 2011 2:25pm
A MidMichigan bus company is back in business after getting busted for having people in the luggage area.
At 8:15 Thursday morning, Haines Tours busses began rolling again.
NBC25 spoke with company officials today who hope to put this situation in their rear view mirror.
"We had clearance from the Federal Motor Carrier Authority that said what we were doing was okay," says Darren Haines, a bus driver for Haines Tours and son of the owner Roger Haines.
However, the U.S. Department of Transportation says the company broke the law 49 cfr 392.62(c)(2)(3), which says busses must offer "unobstructed access to all exits by any occupant of the bus" and "protection of all occupants of the bus against injury resulting from the falling or displacement of articles transported in the bus."
The company says only family members of the owner were in the cargo area.
"They were not customers. We've never had customers below the underfloor area of the motorcoach," says Haines.
However, the feds say that doesn't matter.
The U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says "People's lives were needlessly placed at risk. Safety is everyone's responsibility and it begins with practicing common sense. That means not putting human beings in cargo holds."
Haines Tours says safety is its number one priority as well and that the media is focusing on the negative.
Other companies NBC25 talked to say they would never allow people down there.
Ken Ehlears, ticket agent at Greyhound of Flint says, "I can't see how in all good conscience you could do something like that. It's just dangerous. There's no good reason to put people there."
However, Haines says it still doesn't believe it did anything wrong.
"We've been in business for 20 years. We have a satisfactory rating from the Federal Motor Carriers," says Haines.
The company says it has never had an accident or a claim.
Haines Tours says it has not been disciplined and is waiting to see what federal authorities will do from here.
Updated June 12 7:00PM
The Associated Press says Haines Tours of Gladwin was caught transporting people in the cargo compartment of one of its busses.
Ken Ehlears, Ticket Agent at Greyhound Flint, says bus drivers should know better. "It's just dangerous. There's no good reason to put people there," says Elhears.
He says bus cargo compartments were not constructed for people or even animals to ride in, and he can't understand why anyone would want to ride in the luggage compartment anyway.
"A lot of the floors are ribbed metal. I can't see it being comfortable on top of everything else," says Elears.
The Haines Tours bus was chartered to transport 62 passengers, but 6 of those passengers were not sitting in seats according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer who cited the company on May 27th.
The bus was taking passengers from Roscommon, Michigan to Clyde, Ohio at the time of the incident.
Haines Tours has been shut down by the federal government as a result of the citation.
A Michigan tour bus company has been ordered to cease operations after authorities find passengers in luggage compartments.
The U.S. Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration cited Haines Tours of Gladwin Friday.
It says the company had an "imminent hazard."
The same company was cited in August for using a luggage area as a sleeping area for drivers.
On May 27th, an Ohio State patrol officer found six people in the luggage compartment traveling from Michigan to Clyde, Ohio.
Authorities say the driver told the officer there was no room on the bus for more passengers.
