Pupil Transportation Best Practice

School Bus Maintenance

Proper and systemic school bus maintenance is important in providing for safe transportation of school children.  The program consists of, but is not limited to the following components:

• Knowledgeable Repair Staff:  Highly trained, knowledgeable, and certified mechanics and/or vehicle repair staff including appropriate staffing levels.
• Safety Inspections:  An "in-house" school bus safety inspection program at a maximum of 36 school-day intervals, 3,500 miles, or 300 gallons of fuel used with prompt deficiency repair.   
  Michigan's Model School Safety Inspection Form
• Preventative Maintenance:  A lube, oil, and filter service level consistent with the manufacturer recommendations.
• Driver Daily Trip Inspection:  A daily driver pre- and post-trip vehicle inspection program with maintenance write-ups when needed.
• Special Projects:  A special projects program to address planned service projects and correct detected deficiencies.
• Maintenance Records System:  A vehicle maintenance records system permitting the ready access to each vehicle's maintenance information and a system that tracks maintenance costs by year of ownership for the entire vehicle's school district service life.

This Best Practice has been recommended by the Pupil Transportation Advisory Committee.