More and more school buses in Minnesota are failing safety inspections. Here’s why.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – From fuel leaks to brake problems to broken emergency exits, more than 4,500 school buses in Minnesota failed annual safety inspections last year, according to a FOX 9 Investigators analysis of state inspection records.

Why it is important

Alison Foote is a single mother in St. Paul who relies on school buses to take her nine-year-old daughter to and from school every day.

Last year, however, she began to wonder if her daughter would be safe on a Midwest Bus Services bus that transports students to several schools in the Twin Cities.

“The bus had to stop because an alarm went off. Specifically, the emergency arm on the back of the bus would not fold down and stay down,” Foot told FOX 9 investigators. “She was almost 45 minutes late getting home that day.”

Midwest Bus Company

State inspection records obtained by FOX 9 Investigators show that Midwest Bus Services failed 100% of its annual inspections last year.

“This shows me that they don’t take the safety of our children seriously,” Foote said.

The company failed all 25 annual inspections last year, with violations ranging from a faulty parking brake to a leaky fuel tank to a defective emergency door that “required more than 25 pounds of pressure to open.”

“It’s scary,” Foote said. “My daughter, at her age, would never be able to apply 25 pounds of pressure to open that door.”

Midwest Bus Services declined to comment.

More and more failed inspections

The number of school bus safety inspection failures in Minnesota has increased sharply from 1,513 failures in 2019 to 4,519 failures in 2023.

The increase is due in part to enhanced inspection standards that went into effect in 2021, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, which inspects every bus in the state.

State records reviewed by FOX 9 Investigators show that more than 20 bus companies failed more than 50% of their annual safety inspections last year.

“If that rate is 50% or more, it shows that they are not really committed to maintaining their fleet,” said Lt. Brian Reu, who is in charge of vehicle inspections for the State Patrol.

St. Paul-based Pride Transportation failed 91% of its annual safety inspections last year.

In a statement, the company said it was now under new management and that its “fleet manager has received extensive training,” adding that its “top priority remains to provide a safe and reliable transport service.”

Bloomington Public Schools

Records show that the failure rate is not only high among private companies.

Bloomington Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state and operates its own bus fleet. Last year, 57% of its annual bus safety inspections failed, meaning 69 buses were deemed unsafe.

Safety records revealed numerous violations, including malfunctions of railroad crossing control signs and problems with emergency exits.

The school district did not respond to requests for comment.

A new state law

While Lt. Reu said it was “worrying” that companies were not maintaining their buses as well as he would like, defective buses would be re-inspected before being allowed back on the routes.

However, court records obtained by FOX 9 Investigators show that Midwest Bus Services continued to pick up children last year, even after a bus failed inspection.

A new state law that comes into force in 2023 will make this a criminal offense.

“The driver and/or the company could be accused of a serious administrative offence for using a decommissioned bus,” said Lieutenant Reu.

The charges against Midwest Bus Service were recently dropped, but that doesn’t put an end to the ongoing concerns of parents like Foote.

“There are just certain things that you shouldn’t have to worry about as a parent,” Foote said. “And I think the reliability of the school bus is one of them.”