An independent review of Boston’s school bus safety policies asserts that the system failed to maintain accurate employee records and new driver training files.
Boston Public Schools leaders and Mayor Wu commissioned the report as part of a larger effort to strengthen the district’s yellow bus safety systems after a driver struck and killed five-year-old Lens Joseph in Hyde Park in April
“On behalf of the entire City, I want to express my profound and deep sadness and condolences as we continue to hold the Joseph family in our hearts,” Wu said at a press conference last Thursday (Aug. 28). “As mayor, I take seriously my responsibility and our collective charge to ensure that this never happens again.”
Wu said the driver who fatally struck Joseph “should not have been on the road that day.” She explained that he failed to fill out the paperwork to complete his required school bus certification, which was officially expired on the day of the accident.
Mintz Attorney Natashia Tidwell conducted the review of BPS’s transportation contractor, Transdev, over a period of three months. Tidwell called the company’s record keeping system “insufficient,” adding that it is not centralized or complete.
“Transdev’s inability to readily locate and produce certain records and, in some instances, its failure to respond with complete and accurate information, hampered the Investigator’s ability to fully evaluate Transdev’s performance of the safety-related provisions,” Tidwell wrote in her report.
Investigators said the company could not accurately demonstrate that new employees consistently received the required safety training. And the report called out both Transdev and Boston Schools for a lack of “meaningful and sustained” auditing and oversight procedures.
In response, school and city leaders have pledged to implement all of the review’s safety recommendations, which include the development of a “data-driven” system that links training programs to accident data.
BPS will also step up its audits of new driver files, conduct unannounced bus yard visits, and hire four additional safety trainers that interact with drivers, for a total of 15.
Over the summer, Transdev required all drivers to produce hard copies of their credentials.
“We’re committed to learn from the report and to decisively implement the recommendations so that we ensure our transportation is as safe as possible,” said Superintendent Mary Skipper.
She added that the district is working with Transdev to create a real-time online records keeping system.
Officials with Transdev say they are committed to ensuring an accident like the one that took Joseph’s life never happen again.
“As a global transportation provider, we know that safety is not a static function but a dynamic, critical part of our operations that we must continuously seek to improve,” said a company spokesperson in a statement. “We appreciated the opportunity to participate in the review of the systems, training, and safety protocols included in the report and are committed to working with our partners in the city, with the Boston Public Schools, and union representatives.”
Skipper described Transdev as a partner in the effort to improve school bus safety and noted the company’s willingness to implement the recommendations.
During a Boston City Council hearing on Aug. 28, Councillor Ed Flynn said he thinks the state should oversee school transportation. “I don’t have confidence going into this school year that we have a good plan,” he said.
Councillor Ben Weber went a step further, saying, “I think we have to learn from this and honestly find a different way to transport our kids around,” he said. “I don’t really have a lot of trust in Transdev at this point.”
Dan Rosengard, executive director of transportation for BPS, said more must be done.
“A child died,” he said. “This happened on my watch and as the executive director I take responsibility. I must do more and we must do more to make sure nothing like this happens again.”
The independent review was limited to BPS and Transdev’s safety policies. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is looking into the fatal accident that occurred on April 28 in a separate and ongoing investigation.
This article was originally published by WBUR on August 28. The Reporter and WBUR share content through a media partnership.
