SLAM THE BRAKE

NY: Feds must stop bus firm

The city is powerless to stop unsafe charter-bus companies like the one implicated in Monday’s deadly crash in Queens — leaving local officials at the mercy of the federal government, lawmakers said Tuesday.

Dahlia Group — which owns the bus and hired the driver who slammed into a Q20 bus Monday in Flushing, killing three and injuring 16 — has racked up seven violations for unsafe driving over the last two years.

But only the federal Department of Transportation can yank the company’s operating permit, leaving local pols with little recourse to punish the company for safety violations.

Lawmakers Tuesday called for a hearing to learn what controls they have over charter bus operators via the city’s Department of Transportation.

“In the coming months, we will hold an oversight hearing at City Council and continue to work with the administration to prevent the loss of lives due to negligent and irresponsible private bus operators,” City Council Transportation Committee chairman Ydanis Rodriguez said at the crash site on Northern Boulevard and Main Street.

But the city DOT only regulates which roads private buses can use and where they may pick up and drop off passengers on public streets. Rodriguez may look to toughen those restrictions after the hearing.

Meanwhile, federal regulators are refusing to say why Dahlia Group is still allowed to operate given its abysmal safety record.

Rep. Grace Meng, who represents the district where the crash occurred, said the com- pany should not be on the road and called for a review of federal policy.

“We are very upset that a company that has multiple past infractions was operating,” Meng said at a press conference Tuesday.

“We need to make them more consistent because the standards at least at the federal level are not consistent and clear as to how many infractions a company must have in order to have their license taken away.”

Authorities are awaiting toxicology tests to determine if Dahlia driver Raymond Mong — who was arrested for DWI in 2015 — was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he blew the red light traveling between 54 and 62 mph, according to Robert Accetta of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Investigators are also probing whether driver fatigue played a role in the deadly wreck.

BAD RECORDRECORD: RaymonddR MMong (right), who was once busted for DWI, blew through a red light Monday while driving the Dahlia charter bus (above) that slammed into an MTA bus, killing three people in Queens.