State records show a Minnesota school bus contractor repeatedly operated vehicles that state inspectors had placed out of service for safety violations, but prosecutors rarely filed charges, reported ABC 5.

The investigation reportedly followed a high-profile crash involving a Pride Transportation school bus last spring. The bus carrying students reportedly lost control and struck a building on the Hamline University campus, injuring three children and an adult.

According to the news report, records indicate the Minnesota State Patrol caught Pride Transportation operating school buses marked out of service at least 16 times since 2020. State inspection rules prohibit those buses from returning to service until identified defects are repaired, and the vehicles pass reinspection.

In one instance, a trooper reportedly found five out-of-service Pride buses transporting students in St. Paul. The citation referenced the company’s history of operating buses after failed annual inspections. About 85 percent of the company’s buses failed their latest inspections this year, according to state records cited in the report.

A former participant in the inspection process, who requested anonymity to protect his employment, alleged that some buses returned to service without repairs after receiving out-of-service decals. “We’d apply the out-of-service decal, and they say they’d get it fixed and then it would be en route that evening with nothing fixed,” he said.

An attorney representing Pride Transportation declined an interview and offered no comment. However, a company driver previously told local news reporters that buses sometimes failed for minor issues that were repaired, and that failed buses were not driven.

Troopers reportedly requested criminal charges in nearly every cited instance involving an out-of-service bus, the investigation found. Minnesota lawmakers increased the offense from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor in 2023, but court records reportedly show prosecutors have filed the charge only once since the change.

St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao reportedly said there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges in the cases reviewed by her office. Kao did not respond to any additional questions.

The investigation also identified a previously unreported crash last May in Edina. A Pride bus without students reportedly crossed a parking lot and struck a house. Investigators could not determine the exact cause but cited possible driver error. Inspectors also concluded the bus should not have left the garage because of critical safety problems, including a severely worn tire.

Written with the assistance of AI.

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The post Minnesota Bus Company Allegedly Operated Unsafe School Buses appeared first on School Transportation News.

A substitute school bus driver was fired after failing to drop off two students with special needs at school and leaving them alone on the bus at the Tooele County School District transportation yard located west of Salt Lake City, reported 2 KUTV News.

The incident occurred Aug. 24, when 7-year-old Winston Prawitt and another unidentified student remained on board the bus instead of being dropped off at Canyon Middle School, according to local news reports.

Transportation staff later located the bus at the district depot with both students inside. “The two boys were on that bus alone, parked in direct sunlight, for nearly 10 minutes,” Travis Prawitt, Winston’s father, said via the article.

Video footage reportedly showed Winston pounding on the bus windows. Winston has level two autism and was nonverbal until nearly age 5. His parents said his disability makes it difficult for him to provide a detailed account of what happened.

The district said via the news report that the substitute driver failed to follow required procedures for ensuring all students had exited the vehicle, before returning it to the bus garage. The driver, who reportedly had several years of school bus driving experience, was terminated.

According to the news report, district transportation staff have since reviewed bus-clearing procedures with all drivers. The assistant superintendent and transportation director also presented potential child-check enhancements to the Tooele County Board of Education Sept. 8.

The Prawitts said they were permitted to view only part of the bus surveillance footage and that it did not include audio. District officials said access must comply with student privacy laws because multiple students appear in the recording. The family said it would accept redacted footage but wants the complete record involving Winston.

Since the incident, Winston has reportedly experienced nightmares and anxiety and now checks whether his regular driver is operating the bus.

His parents are calling for a proposed “Winston’s Law” that would require enhanced child-check safeguards on Utah school buses. One possible system would require drivers to walk to the back of the bus and press a button after completing each route.

“Human error does happen in any profession,” Alaina Prawitt, Winston’s mother, told local news reporters. “Anything we can do to try and help human error not be a problem, such as putting an alarm on the bus or something to help check that things are getting done accurately, is what I would love to see. I just want this to never happen to another child.”

Written with the Assistance of AI.

Related: Two Students Left on School Buses in One Year Prompts Investigation
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Related: Mississippi Student Left on Bus for Hours

The post Utah School Bus Driver Fired After Two Students Left on Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

Winter is The wrong time to find  a problem

What to inspect now before cold weather puts your propane bulk plant to the test.

Your propane bulk plant may be running fine today. That does not necessarily mean it is ready for the first stretch of sustained cold weather.

As demand increases, equipment that handled lower summer volumes may soon be running harder and more frequently. A worn hose, underperforming pump, leaking valve, or Emergency Shut-Down (ESD) system issue that is manageable today can become a much bigger problem when demand is high and taking equipment offline is no longer convenient.

The best time to find those problems is before the cold arrives.