State Regulators: Ride Ducks’ Stretch Vehicles Must Individually Prove Safe Before Returning to Service

OLYMPIA, Washington, Jan. 22 -- The Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission issued the following news release:

Today, the Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a request from Ride the Ducks of Seattle, LLC, to allow one of its "Stretch Duck" vehicles to return to service.

The commission approved the single "Stretch Duck," the type of vehicle involved in the 2015 fatal Aurora Bridge collision, to be returned to service after the company demonstrated it had completed all safety requirements for that vehicle, including installation of a new axle as directed by the National Transportation Safety Board.

However, the commission denied the company's request to lift the suspension of the other 1950's-vintage "Stretch Duck" vehicles, saying RTDS must demonstrate that each vehicle has been upgraded to meet all safety standards as required by the UTC in 2016.

On Sept. 24, 2015, an RTDS "Stretch Duck" vehicle collided with a charter bus on Seattle's Aurora Bridge, resulting in the deaths of five people and serious injuries to many others. The commission subsequently suspended the company's operating permit pending a full inspection of the company's vehicle fleet, drivers, and operations.

The commission later granted RTDS limited operating authority under a safety compliance plan, but excluded the "Stretch Ducks" from service until further review.

The UTC regulates the rates and services of charter-bus companies, household goods movers, telecommunications companies, investor-owned electric utilities, natural gas and water companies, garbage-collection haulers, commercial ferries, pipeline companies, and a low-level radioactive waste repository.