Troopers inspect Missouri buses before start of 2016-17 school year

A new school year starts in just a few short weeks, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol is making sure all buses are safe and ready for students.

The highway patrol completed school bus inspections earlier this summer.

The report shows about 10 percent of buses did not pass inspection across the state.

In Jefferson City, 77 of the 80 buses passed for a more than 96 percent approval rate.

In Columbia, 219 of the 221 buses passed inspection for an approval rate of 99 percent.

This year, more than 12,000 buses were inspected across the state.

“The reality is, these buses transport our most valuable cargo,” Sgt. Scott White said. “And that’s our children.”

The highway patrol uses a “wheels-up” program, according to White. Inspectors check tires, breaks, exhaust, engine components and fluid levels.

Inspectors also look at all lights and signals on the exterior.

“The stop sign, that’s important,” White said. “We get a lot of bus stop arm violations every year. And also on there you see the actual stop sign, you want to make sure that’s illuminated correctly and that it’s not faded.”

On the inside, everything is looked at from the emergency exits down to the bolts that hold the seats to the floor.

First Student, the bus company contracted by Jefferson City Public Schools, told ABC 17 News it does checks throughout the year to make sure buses are kept up to safety standards.

Various maintenance checks are preformed every 30, 60 and 90 days on each bus.

You can view the full 2016 school bus inspection results here.