Also in May, federal and state authorities ran a 13-state safety inspection operation of motor coaches, tour buses and school buses, the administration reported.

Investigators inspected 2,200 vehicles and removed 116 drivers and 169 buses from the road for safety violations. Virginia was one of the states involved in the operation.

"I think a lot of progress has been made," Pantuso said in a telephone interview Friday. "What happened yesterday was proof of that."

Still, he said, federal authorities could use more power to do such things as seize offending bus companies' property so they can't "reincarnate" under another name. This is a common problem and something Sky Express allegedly did days after its fatal crash in Caroline County.

Pantuso said it will take much more work to get rid of the rogue bus companies.

"This," he said, "is only the tip of the iceberg."

Scott Shenk: 540/374-5436
Email: sshenk@freelancestar.com