State recommends Ride the Ducks resume operations in Seattle

A state investigation into Ride the Ducks gives the tour company an unsatisfactory rating, but has concluded the business can resume operations in Seattle.

“Ride the Ducks’ excursion service carrier operating authority should be restored and the company should be allowed to resume operations in its ‘Truck Duck’ vehicles,” a report by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission states.

The “Truck Ducks” are different than the stretch boats, such as the one involved in the deadly crash last September. The report recommends that those vehicles stay off the road.

State regulators found 442 safety violations. The state could fine the tour operator up to $1,000 for each of those violations.

The company has been under investigation since one of the tour vehicles crashed into a charter bus on the Aurora Bridge. Five people were killed and more than 50 others were injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board began an investigation into the crash the next day. The State of Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission suspended operations for Ride the Ducks a few days later as it reviewed driver records and inspections of the company’s fleet of amphibious vehicles.

Commission staff has given an unsatisfactory safety rating to Ride the Ducks. The company has until Jan. 29, 2016 to submit a safety management plan showing how the company will correct violations staff found. State inspectors will then follow-up with Ride the Ducks periodically.

The state commission staff said that the company’s “Truck Duck” vehicles should be allowed to resume operations. Those are different than the “Stretch Duck” vehicles; the same model as the vehicle involved in the fatal crash. State inspectors said that those vehicles should remain off the road until a specialist can further investigate axles on the Stretch Ducks.

The axles were of concern after it was discovered that Ride the Ducks previously received a bulletin about their tour vehicles, noting that they should inspect the axles. Ride the Ducks mechanics told state inspectors that they conducted daily visual inspections of the axles for any vertical canting of the front wheels, but never observed any such instance, and therefor never took any action.

State inspectors also found that eight of the 21 Stretch Duck vehicles had minor grease leaks on their front axles. The report states these violations must be corrected. Inspectors also found that brake lights on one Stretch Duck were malfunctioning, but that issue has since been corrected.

Commission staff also found that Ride the Ducks failed to keep records of its inspections on its vehicles.