May 8, 2009 - North Colonie Central School District's buses once again far exceeded safety inspection standards set by the New York state Department of Transportation.
 

Of the 158 school bus inspections conducted by D.O.T. during the state's 2008-09 fiscal year, only one defect was found, according to John Myers, the district's transportation director. That works out to a 99.37 percent passing rate, the district's best score ever and far above the 90 percent passing rate that D.O.T. considers to be an excellent or an "A" rating, Myers said.

Myers had high praise for the district's bus mechanics - Paul Fedden, Jim Flynn, Butch Peate, Bill Crandall, John Coonradt, Jay Dauphinais, Wes Snyder and Dan Boyea - and for Fleet Supervisor Stan Brackett.

"Our mechanics and this department take the job of transporting students very seriously, and their D.O.T. performance is strong evidence of our commitment to safety," Myers said. "D.O.T. inspectors tend to be very "official" and do not like to indicate any preferences, but they have expressed that they look forward to coming to our shop. This is the highest of praise from a D.O.T. inspector, and our mechanics have worked hard to earn it."

Myers said that the one item on the one bus that failed inspection was a circuit breaker that malfunctioned for a wheelchair lift of this particular bus, causing the wheelchair lift not to come down during the inspection. It should be noted that had this happened during a bus run, the lift could still be operated manually. The circuit breaker was replaced, and the bus was back in service by the end of the day.

In the eight years that Myers has been with North Colonie, the passing rate for bus inspections has averaged about 96 percent, he said. Last year, the district's passing rate was 97.28 percent.

"Our mechanics have raised the bar yet again," he said.

In addition to eight mechanics and a fleet maintenance supervisor, the transportation department employs an office staff, 54 full-time bus drivers and 20 substitute drivers.