Major Deficiencies Found with Local School Buses

MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) Tens of thousands of kids in our area are transported by school buses every day. Local 15 News has learned some of those buses have had "major deficiencies." Investigative Reporter Andrea Ramey shows us what Mobile and Baldwin County school officials are doing in response to the latest inspection reports.

Every month, Mobile County buses are inspected. Foreman Vernon Ash says every inch of the bus is looked at. On top of local inspections, once a year the state performs its own. Local 15 News obtained copies of the latest state School Bus Inspection Exit Reports for both Mobile and Baldwin counties. In Mobile, out of 641 buses inspected 18 had "major deficiencies."

Mobile County Inspection
2013 Baldwin County Inspection Exit Report
Mobile County Certificate

"What does that mean that 18 buses have major deficiencies?" asked Ramey.

"It could be from tires to brakes to steering columns, what have you," replied Mobile County Public Schools Director of Transportation Pat Mitchell.

"Would you equate major deficiency to not safe?" asked Ramey.

"Let's take a brake pad for example. We may drive a vehicle and your brakes may make noise or squeak and it still will have the stopping capabilities. The same situation here. But we don't want that to happen so what we will do is go in and stop the squeaking noise," replied Mitchell.

According to the report, seven out of the 18 deficiencies were problems with the tie rod ends, which is a pivotal part of the steering system. And not an uncommon problem, according to Ash, who says it's a moving part and close to the road. All seven tie rod ends were fixed in the buses, but mechanics say if tie rods are not repaired, it could lead to increased wear on tires or in more extreme cases total steering failure.

Other issues listed on the report were air or hydraulic leaks in the braking system and lights that did not work. Again, the school system says all issues were fixed.

Similar issues were discovered in Baldwin County. Out of 372 buses inspected, three had "major deficiencies," including a problem with one tie rod end, a light that did not work and a fuel pump leak.

"A major deficiency doesn't mean there's a life threatening circumstance, it means that there is something that needs to be tended to like an oil drip or some spring that needs to be tightened," said Baldwin County Public School Spokesperson Terry Wilhite.

The reports also show that while Baldwin County employs enough mechanics, Mobile County does not. The state wants one mechanic per 25 buses.

"Should Mobile County have more mechanics on staff?" asked Ramey.

"Actually, we should. We have just hired additional mechanics. We should be in compliance next time the inspectors come around," said Mitchell.

While issues were uncovered in the reports, both counties overall had a very low percentage of buses with problems. Just 2.8 percent of Mobile's fleet and .8 percent of Baldwin's fleet had deficiencies. Compare that to Wilcox County where 17 percent of the fleet had deficiencies and Randolph County where 23 percent of the fleet had deficiencies. The state says if 20 percent or more of a fleet has deficiencies, more state inspections are performed.

The Alabama Department of Education told Local 15 News that both Mobile County and Baldwin County "do a really good job of inspecting and maintaining their school buses," which for Mobile County especially is no small feat when you consider it runs, according to the district, the largest transportation system in the state.