Safety inspection finds 1 in 10 Missouri school buses ‘defective’ or ‘out of service’
Some districts ‘go green’ through federal rebate program incentivizing electric buses
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) - A recent audit of 11,360 Missouri school buses found that 895 are “defective” and 410 are considered “out of service,” according to a report released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A “defective” bus is one that requires specific repairs within ten days of the inspection but is not required to receive a follow-up inspection from the state to stay in operation.
A bus considered “out of service” is not allowed to continue transporting students until repairs are completed and a subsequent state inspection is completed.
The inspection involved scrutiny of 24 different factors, including emergency access, all aspects of vehicle maintenance, the bus’ crossing arm, lighting and signaling, etc.
Newtown-Harris R-III School District, located roughly an hour northwest of Kirksville, has only two buses in operation for a total student population of less than 100.
The state inspection deemed both of the district’s buses as “Out of Service,” which superintendent Dr. Matt Copeland said is a result of how the small district procures them.
“We don’t go buy new, we look for used,” Copeland said. “We try to maximize our dollars. We have to be frugal, we have to be smart, and we have to try and take care of [transportation] as well.”
Copeland’s district was among 18 others in Missouri that were selected to receive federal funds through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition.
With most districts shouldering the fuel costs of school transportation, changing gas prices have an outsized impact on smaller school districts where even small economic stresses can suspend or even cripple services.
Copeland said the school district will need to make an initial investment to install a charging station for the new bus, and that the fuel savings will be seen in subsequent years.
Still, his chief concern is the ability of an electric bus to navigate roads that are significantly less maintained than those found in urban settings.
“In a city, with lots of easy, highway miles, I get it,” Copeland said. “But I mean, I don’t have one route that would be considered “easy.” It would scare city or suburban drivers just because of the gnarliness of the roads.”
Below is a list of the Missouri school districts that received a rebate from the EPA’s program along with how those districts’ buses performed in the recent state inspection:
- Academie Lafayette - Rebate: $1,380,000 - [20% Approved, 40% Defective, 40% Out of Service]
- Affton 101 - Rebate: $200,000 - [100% Approved]
- Campbell R-II - Rebate: $710,000 - [70% Approved, 30% Out of Service]
- Crawford County R-I - Rebate: $1,380,000 - [81.2% Approved, 18.8% Defective]
- Kennett 39 - Rebate: $730,000 - [71.4% Approved, 9.5% Defective, 19% Out of Service]
- Knob Noster R-VIII - Rebate: $1,200,000 - [95.7% Approved, 4.3% Defective]
- Lamar R-1 - Rebate: $200,000 - [84.2% Approved, 10.5% Defective, 5.3% Out of Service]
- Lewis County C-1 - Rebate: $690,000 - [72.7% Approved, 27.3% Defective]
- Madison C-3 - Rebate: $345,000 - [66.7% Approved, 33.3% Out of Service]
- New Haven - Rebate: $200,000 - [37.5% Approved, 37.5% Defective, 25% Out of Service]
- Newtown-Harris R-III - Rebate: $345,000 - [100% Out of Service]
- Normandy Schools Collaborative - Rebate: $1,725,000 - [87.5% Approved, 8.3% Defective, 4.2% Out of Service]
- Portageville School District - Rebate: $690,000 - [58.3% Approved, 33.3% Defective, 8.3% Out of Service]
- Potosi R-III School District - Rebate: $3,450,000 - [94.6% Approved, 5.4% Defective]
- Princeton R-V - Rebate: $1,725,000 - [90% Approved, 10% Defective]
- Scotland County R-1 School District - Rebate: $730,000 - [92.9% Approved, 7.1% Defective]
- Scott County Central - Rebate: $690,000 - [37.5% Approved, 50% Defective, 12.5% Out of Service]
- Worth County R-III - Rebate: $1,725,000 - [100% Approved]
The full results of the state inspection can be found via this link and the state’s methodology for performing the inspections can be found through this link.
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