DALLAS Apparently tired of competing with motorcoach companies that dont abide by federal rules for transporting the disabled, Greyhound Lines has launched an effort to even the playing field.

The nations largest intercity bus carrier filed a formal complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, suggesting that large numbers of operators -- that provide fixed-route and curbside service -- may not be in compliance with federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

It said it conducted a survey of 40 carriers that provide intercity service on the East and West coasts and in the Southwest and discovered that 32 of them 80 percent had no wheelchair lifts on any of the coaches that were studied and six of them had lifts on only one or two of their buses.

Greyhound, which was joined in the study by its East Coast partner, Peter Pan Bus Lines, noted that federal regulations require that fixed-route carriers either have to have at least 50 percent of their fleet equipped with lifts or be able to provide disabled passengers with the same service it offers others.

"Clearly, no carrier with few or no lift-equipped vehicles can meet this standard," Greyhound asserts in the complaint it filed May 18.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said the company initiated the survey because of concerns there is widespread noncompliance with ADA regulations among carriers in all parts of the country.

What Wambaugh didnt say, but is implied in the Greyhound complaint, is the company thinks federal regulators are largely ignoring the situation and failing to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act rules uniformly and throughout the industry.

"We welcome competition from both new and existing companies, but it is only fair that the competition be on a level playing field," Wambaugh asserted.

She said the company has the same concerns about motorcoach operators complying with federal safety and security standards as well.

Upstart companies that provide curbside bus service between major East Coast cities have come under fire in the past from established intercity carriers that claim many of the drivers and vehicles of the newcomers have safety issues.

FMCSA, which has the authority to suspend or revoke the operating authority of coach operators that violate ADA requirements, acknowledged the agency has received the complaint.

"I can confirm we have received the complaint letter from Greyhound," said spokesman Duane DeBruyne. "I can also confirm we are looking into the matter and that this has been relayed to Greyhound officials."

Although he would not discuss specifics of the complaint, he noted that smaller fixed-route carriers, including those offering curbside service, can be ADA compliant if they can provide accessible bus service within 48 hours of a request.

"The observation method of wheelchair-accessible buses in service by smaller fixed-route and curbside carriers is purposeless," he added.

Filing of the Greyhound complaint comes just weeks after the FMCSA initiated an extensive ADA review of fixed-route carriers throughout the country, following an agreement it signed with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Since March 2009, FMCSA has been conducting ADA reviews on the 40 or so largest fixed-route companies that account for approximately 85 percent of the passengers being carried," DeBruyne said. "By the end of May 2009, FMCSA expects to have completed 16 ADA reviews."

He said the agency plans to critique the reviews before extending the study to smaller fixed-route carriers.

In its complaint, Greyhound noted that the over-the-road bus industry has changed and expanded dramatically in recent years with the advent of curbside, fixed-route bus operators and bus operators that provide fixed-route service from the Mexican border to locations throughout the United States.

"Greyhound believes the vast majority of these operators willfully ignore the (ADA) regulations because they believe there is no enforcement of those regulations," the company contends in its complaint.

The company maintains that the results of its study, which was conducted between April 14 and May 7, verify its claims.

Greyhound said the study involved looking at 363 coaches, including 189 in the Northeast corridor, 142 in Texas and Arizona, and 32 in California. Of those, just 26 were equipped with wheelchair lifts.

By comparison, Greyhound said that at last count, 740 of its buses or more than 52 percent of its fleet have wheelchair lifts. It noted that it had recently purchased 140 new buses and all of them have lifts.

The Dallas-based company also said it maintains a special section of its website devoted to ADA issues and a staff that works on requests for ADA services.