B.C. tour bus firm has Canadian operations suspended after fatal crash in Oregon

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER - The B.C. government has put the brakes on the operations of a tour bus company involved in a deadly crash in Oregon.

The Transportation Ministry announced says the operations of Mi Joo Tour & Travel Ltd., of Coquitlam, B.C., have been suspended.

A ministry safety audit was conducted after the crash on Dec. 30 when a company bus rolled off an interstate highway, killing nine and injuring 38 near Pendleton, Ore.

The government says the audit revealed the company wasn't meeting it's obligations under B.C. law over the number of hours drivers work and pre-trip inspections.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation pulled Mi Joo's authority to provide passenger service, saying the driver wasn't properly rested before the crash.

A lawyer for the bus company — which already faces one lawsuit from the crash — has said poor driving conditions, and not driver fatigue, led to the crash.