Peru bus companies suspended
Monday, 04 Aug 2008 17:00
A spate of bus crashes on Peruvian roads has prompted the Ministry of Transport and Communications to suspend a number of local bus companies, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reports.
Serious bus accidents in July 2008 include 84 deaths in the past 11 days, according to LivinginPeru.com.
The website quotes statistics from the national highway police indicating that 391 people were killed and 2,777 injured in bus accidents in the first half of this year.
The CIAL company has had its services suspended on the Lima - Cusco - La Paz route.
Some routes operated by the Caplina bus company have also been suspended.
And the activities of the Soyuz bus company have been temporarily suspended on the Lima - Huaral and Lima - Ica routes because over half their buses do not operate with the required insurance.
The FCO warns that bus crashes are "commonplace" in Peru and travellers should use reputable transport companies, avoiding night time travel, particularly in mountainous and remote regions.