SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle tour company involved in a deadly crash in September will resume passenger tours in its amphibious vehicles.
Ride the Ducks of Seattle officials made the announcement Thursday, saying passenger service will be relaunched at 11 a.m. today.
Online and phone reservations opened Thursday morning. The first two tours are already sold out, Ride the Ducks spokesman Mark Firmani said.
A crash on Sept. 24 killed five international college students and injured dozens of others when a repurposed military “duck boat” swerved into an oncoming charter bus on the Aurora Bridge, a six-lane span with no median barrier.
The company’s operations were suspended by the commission days after the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board in a preliminary report determined that a defective axle on the Duck vehicle caused the crash.
Although Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission staff found 442 violations when they investigated the company, most were related to record-keeping. At a hearing in December, the commission said the tour company could resume limited operations.
Safety plan
Under the agreement, the company had to submit a safety plan before the end of January and have it approved.
Earlier this week, Brian Tracey, president of Ride the Ducks Seattle, said he came to an agreement with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s office regarding their route and operation on city streets and waterways. The agreement stipulates that the company will add a tour guide to every tour, allowing the captain to focus on vehicle operation, and that the tour route will not include the use of the Aurora Bridge. The tours instead will travel on the nearby Fremont Bridge.
