Missouri school bus inspection audit raises concern

The Missouri State Auditor reports that 25 percent of school buses that are spot-inspected fail to meet the safety requirements of the state.

After Feb. 1, every school bus is inspected by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. After that, about 10 percent of the buses are chosen throughout the year to receive a spot inspection.

Officials worry that the high percentage of failed buses in the spot inspections are because of inadequate annual inspections being done.

Missouri State Auditor Thomas Schweich recommends that “the Missouri State Highway Patrol analyze spot-inspections results to identify state inspection stations that may not be performing adequate school bus inspections and require those inspectors attend training on proper school bus inspection procedures.”