Just released data reveals how many school buses failed safety inspections for districts across Washington state.
KIRO 7 obtained the information from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, which includes both planned and surprise inspections from winter 2018-2019 and summer 2019.
While there are no national requirements for school bus inspections, the Washington State Patrol, OSPI and regional transportation coordinators have created criteria for when school buses in Washington must be taken out of service.
The percentage of school buses taken out of service varies from district to district –- anywhere from zero to 50% (although the highest percentages come from districts with the fewest number of buses).
The reasons for buses getting pulled from service also varies. In some cases, it can be as simple as items left in the driver's compartment (like a rag, knife or lunch box). In that case, the bus is only out of service until that item is removed. In other cases, the issues are more serious, such as loose seats, missing first aid kits or brake problems.
KIRO 7 reached out to dozens of districts to find out more about the buses removed from service. Here is a sampling of some results, combining the winter surprise inspections and summer planned inspections:
- Arlington: 15 of 67 buses removed from service
- Central Kitsap: 11 of 121 buses removed from service
- Chehalis: 4 of 34 buses removed from service
- Everett: 19 of 217 buses removed from service -- Issues included broken door buzzer, low tire pressure, brake adjustments.
- Federal Way: 14 of 192 buses removed from service
- Granite Falls: 9 of 40 buses removed from service
- Monroe: 7 of 88 buses removed from service
- Mukilteo: 13 of 146 buses removed from service -- Issues included tire sidewalls, exhaust leaks, broken door buzzers.
- Olympia: 6 of 108 buses removed from service
- Seattle: 37 of 561 buses removed from service
- Snohomish: 12 of 128 buses removed from service
- Tacoma: 13 of 239 buses removed from service
- Tahoma: 14 of 109 buses removed from service -- Issues included holes in seats, brakes out of adjustment, no mirror adjustments.
The districts that responded to KIRO 7 say most buses returned to service the same day as the inspection, with only a few exceptions. None of the failed inspections affected bus routes as most districts have spare buses. You can find the spreadsheet listing the numbers for every district here.
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