SJSD school buses receive clean bill of health

By Jenna Wilson

Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and maintenance crews spent the week making sure students are safe going to and from school.

Each year, from February to April, school districts across Missouri undergo bus inspections to ensure they are in proper working condition before hitting the road.

“These buses, they transport precious cargo each and every day,” said Sgt. Shane Hux with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “Not only to and from school but extracurricular activities, they go on field trips, they have sporting events; all these things they rely on these buses for.”

It takes about eight weeks to inspect every bus within the 15 counties of Troop H, Hux said. Once the fall comes around, they do spot checks and inspect buses in the district that aren’t routinely on the roads.

Crews do a thorough inspection of the exterior and interior of buses, checking lights, emergency exits, mirrors, tires and other important components.

During the 2023 annual bus inspection for the St. Joseph School District, 87 buses were inspected. Out of those 87 buses, 843% passed, 15% were ruled as defective and only 2% were defective.

Todd Berry is the senior shop manager at First Student and said the goal is to have all of the buses up and running, which is why they do more than one routine bus inspection each year.

“Between the (department of transportation), local departments and us, we’re always very diligent when it comes to making sure that our vehicles are the safest possible,” he said. “We take these inspections seriously because it determines the safety of the students, the safety of our drivers and the safety of the public that’s around us.”

Hux highlighted that it’s important to reassure families that their children will be safe.

“Every parent wants that comfort that when that child walks out the door, they’re going to come back home, and we are doing our part here in the state of Missouri,” Hux said.

Buses that do not comply with safety regulations cannot be used to transport students until all defects are corrected and a state trooper rechecks the vehicle.

MSHP and maintenance crews reported no major issues with school buses at the spring inspection.