When you search for a bus charter or rental bus company online, you likely will get links to online bus directories. These directories will include any bus-owning transportation company willing to pay them for a listing. However, they don’t take into account the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) ratings. In these directories, you will often find companies with a conditional or unsatisfactory rating; and not just those with satisfactory ratings.
If you’re not a transportation industry insider, you probably don’t realize that you can do further research into the DOT reports and learn a vehicle’s rating. These directories are paid for by advertisers and the data contained within is not necessarily harvested with the safety and well-being of the consumer in mind.