Sightseeing Bus Crashes Not Tracked in New York City

Companies that run New York City’s growing armada of double-decker sightseeing buses have no legal obligation to report accidents to the city agency that licenses them.

The city’s Consumer Affairs Department disclosed the loophole to The Associated Press as scrutiny of the industry intensified following a crash in Times Square last week that sent 14 people to the hospital.

A spokeswoman says city law doesn’t require companies to report accidents to the department.

It’s one of at least five government entities that play a role in regulating the buses.

They’re popular with tourists and detested by locals as a traffic nuisance.

The lack of accident reporting is one of several gaps in the regulation of the city’s booming sightseeing bus industry.