Middletown's School Bus Safety Report Released

A detailed report of Middletown's school bus safety status was sent to the Board of Ed on 4/15/10. You can access that report from the District's home page or by clicking here.

According to Ken Jackson, the acting Transportation Manager, DATTCO has fared well when compared to the state's out-of-service average. DATTCO's average for the Middletown fleet was less than 9% (this is the percentage of buses taken out-of-service during inspections) as compared to the state average of more than 25%. The full Hartford Courant story can be read here. You can also check a specific vehicle's safety record by entering the license plate and bus company into this data base.

"We have reviewed the defects found by the State during the inspections for the last thirteen months on all the DATTCO buses and found DATTCO’s safety and maintenance operations satisfactory," Jackson commented via email exchange. Jackson also stated that "the BOE has discussed the seat belts but no action is intended at this time. We will closely monitor what the State legislators may or may not do regarding this issue. This week the legislature's Appropriations Committee amended the proposed seat belt bill to require that state motor vehicle and education officials study safety issues and the costs to cities and towns with the study due by October 1, 2010."

Middletown has 98 buses (five different kinds) in service with 12 spares. It seems that the movement in Hartford to require seat belts has stalled due to concerns over installation costs, and lawmakers are now asking districts to study such costs and report back.