June 18--California's oversight of limousines, shuttles, charter buses and other passenger carriers is "insufficient to ensure consumer safety," according to a state audit released Tuesday that was ordered in the wake of a deadly limo fire on the San Mateo Bridge.
The California Public Utilities Commission took too long to open investigations and resolve complaints against carriers, failed to properly collect fees from them, and issued fines that were far below what state law allows, the audit found.
On average, the commission took 46 days to begin an investigation into a complaint and 238 days to complete a probe, the audit found.
"Without formal guidance, investigators have not always ensured that passenger carriers comply with critical safety requirements," State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote in a 50-page report. "The main reason for the deficiencies we found is a lack of effective program leadership."
In one case, a state investigator closed a case, and failed to notify police after being threatened by a weapon during an inspection, the audit found. In another instance, an investigator did nothing after watching an illegal carrier load 13 people into a van with an 11-person capacity. Two children sat on the laps of other passengers -- a "clear safety hazard," the report said.
Howle issued a series of recommendations, including drafting formal procedures to take complaints and establishing a method for prioritizing complaints and setting deadlines for finishing investigations.
In a response included in the report, the commission's executive director, Paul Clanon, said he agreed with the recommendations. But he rejected suggestions that his agency had failed to ensure passenger safety.
"While we agree there are certainly deficiencies in some areas, we believe that the CPUC's collective efforts to ensure Californians' transportation safety through active enforcement and licensing have not been trivial, nor a failure," Clanon wrote.
Commission spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said the agency had "already started to improve our methods of assessing and collecting fee payments, and we are mapping out corrective actions that we will take in response to other observations cited in the audit relating to transportation enforcement."
The audit was requested by state Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, following a May 4, 2013, fire on the San Mateo Bridge that killed a bride and four other women heading to a wedding party. The CHP said the failure of an air suspension system caused metal beneath the floorboard to scrape against the driveshaft, creating friction, heat and then fire.
"Sadly, the state auditor confirmed my worst fears," Corbett said in a statement. "Clearly, the CPUC must be proactive in addressing the recommendations noted in the state auditor's report and immediately outline a specific course of action."
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @henryklee
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