California lawmakers call for stricter bus safety laws following fatal crash

LIVINGSTON, Calif. (KTVU) - Some California lawmakers say that the state needs to tighten bus safety laws after Monday's tour bus crash that left 5 people dead and 16 injured. 

Senate Bill 247 calls for fire resistant bus seats, a data recorder like a plane's black box, and lighted aisles during emergencies.

Industry trade groups oppose the legislation, saying the costs could drive companies out of business. They say it would cost $117 million to retrofit California's 4700 charter buses. 

The 2 Investigates team found that the bus company involved in Monday's crash, Autobuses Coordinados USA Inc., has been cited for 44 vehicle maintenance violations in the past two years.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to the scene.

The bus had 30 people on board and was traveling from Mexico when it drifted off of the road and slammed into a steel pole on Highway 99 near Livingston in Merced County,Some of the passengers reported that the bus was trying to pass a car, but the driver of the car did not allow the bus back into the lane and may have ended running the bus off the road.