NEWARK — Nearly two dozen Worcester County Public School buses were approved this month for longevity extensions beyond the state’s 12-year period after assurances the mandated inspection programs would ensure their continued safety.
Maryland law requires public school buses owned and operated by private contractors be retired after 12 years on the road to ensure their safety for students and drivers. However, in recent years, legislation has been passed by the Maryland General Assembly allowing certain jurisdictions to extend the life of their public school buses to 15 years provided a rigorous inspection program is adhered to.
Thus far, five school districts in Maryland have asked for and received exemptions from the 12-year rule for school buses, most of which are in rural areas including Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset and Talbot counties on the Eastern Shore and St. Mary’s County in southern Maryland. St. Mary’s just earned its exemption through the state legislature last year.
With Worcester’s school bus fleet aging in many cases, the county’s Board of Education on Tuesday approved a request to allow 21 buses to be extended beyond the requisite 12 years mandated by the state. Supervisor of Pupil Transportation Steve Price presented the requested extensions during last Tuesday’s abbreviated school board meeting and the school board approved them after gaining assurances the buses in question will be put through the mandated rigorous testing program.
“We have requests for 21 buses seeking an exception to the 12-year rule,” Price told the school board. “Twelve years is the law in Maryland, but Worcester County is exempt after legislation was passed recently. The additional inspections have been completed and everything checks out just fine.”
Price assured school board members the testing and inspection program for buses seeking an extension beyond the requisite 12 years ensures there are no safety issues with the aging fleet in Worcester.
“There is absolutely no compromise to safety,” he said. “They will be brought back every year for further inspections. The law requires the contractors to come back every year.”
Price said the legislation was somewhat controversial when first presented, but those concerns have been allayed.
“There was a lot of discussion about this when it first came up,” he said. “With the required inspection program, there have been no problems.”
Price said he anticipated more school systems across Maryland would seek an exemption from the 12-year rule.
“Every year, there seems to be more and more counties seeking an extension on this from the state legislature,” he said.