WASHINGTON -- A group of Georgia motorcoach operators who have been looking for help in their struggle to reign in private businesses that rent buses and drivers without any federal oversight may have finally found an ally.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to seek statutory authority to begin regulating the companies, which have been under fire by operators in Georgia and other southern states for years.

The rental or leasing companies currently do not come under any of the federal or state regulations that govern the motorcoach industry, including safety rules for buses and drivers, mandatory inspections, insurance requirements, and driver drug and alcohol testing.

"Getting them regulated would be very good news for us," said Jimmy Cantrell of Daniels Charters and Tours in Gainesville, Ga. "Weve tried to do everything we can down here, but they just keep finding loopholes."

Brenda Tidwell of Leisure Time Charter and Tours in Emerson, Ga., called the decision by the regulatory agency great news for carriers all across the country.

"Any thing we can do to make our industry safer is great, and this will make it safer," she asserted.

Both Cantrell and Tidwell have been at the forefront of the effort to get someone to regulate the bus rental industry.

The move by the FMCSA to seek legal authority to regulate the companies is part of a new motorcoach industry safety plan that was put together by the U.S. Department of Transportation and several of its regulatory agencies. The plan contains a series of safety measures, including more inspections of buses and improved enforcement to get illegal carriers off the highways. (See articles on Page One).

The report on the plan said federal authorities are aware of the rental companies and how they operate and that they could endanger the public by placing untrained or even disqualified drivers behind the wheel of motorcoaches transporting passengers.

Motorcoach operators for some time have been warning about the dangers of the rental companies, stressing that people who rent the buses have no idea if they are safe and if the drivers are qualified.

An added concern, according to the operators, is that the rental customers are responsible for obtaining insurance and many of them are not made aware of that before they drive off the rental lot.

Tidwell said she was surprised to find the FMCSA measure in the safety study.

"Sure I was surprised because I thought they would not do anything until after there was a bad accident," she said. "I am proud to see them be proactive and do this before something bad happened."