Todd Maisel/News

 

A tour bus company was shut down after passengers were found in the luggage compartment.

Along with the uncomfortable travelers, authorities also found mattresses, pillows and luggage when the bus was pulled over in Ohio on May 27th.

"People's lives were needlessly placed at risk," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. "Safety is everyone's responsibility and it begins with practicing common sense. That means not putting human beings in cargo holds."

The bus was run by Haines Tours.

According to the report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the driver told the officer that he had stashed some passengers in the luggage department because there was no more room on the passenger part of the bus.

Even more frightening? The bus company was warned in August of 2010 that it cannot transport people in the luggage department of its vehicles.

It was not immediately clear why the passengers agreed to sit in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.

The company can operate again if it meets government requirements and develops a plan to ensure that passengers are never stashed anywhere but the passenger area of the bus again.

The incident comes after a series of high-profile bus crashes that have killed dozens this year, including one from New York to a Connecticut casino.

In North Carolina, another bus company was ordered to shut down on Saturday because government inspectors said the company hires drivers who don't have the required licenses or aren't medically qualified, WCTI-12 reported.

The company said it plans on hiring new drivers so it can resume operations.