(The Center Square) – Before children started riding buses to school this week for the first days of classes, the Missouri State Highway Patrol revealed approximately 11% of buses failed inspection or were taken out of service, according to an analysis by The Center Square.
The driver and vehicle safety division of the patrol released its 2024 school bus inspection report in June. Approximately 600 private and public schools operate buses, which are required to be inspected annually at an official motor vehicle safety inspection station. The inspection must take place no more than 60 days prior to the bus being operated during the school year. Most school buses are presented for inspection during July and August, according to the patrol’s “School Bus Inspection Regulations Manual .”
“Through the unified effort of Missouri State Highway Patrol personnel and pupil transportation professionals statewide, the successful inspection of 11,360 school buses occurred in accordance with Missouri revised state statutes,” Colonel Eric T. Olson said in a statement. “The Patrol, Missouri schools, and private pupil transportation companies share the common goal of keeping our schoolchildren safe while they travel on school buses.”