Technology is reshaping school bus maintenance operations Written by Jim Romeo
O
n April 17, 2025, a Blue Bird school bus carry- ing 35 students from the Pine Ridge Middle School in West Columbia, South Carolina was returning home from a field trip to the
Charlotte Motor Speedway, when a front passenger side tire blew out on Interstate 77 in Chester Country. The bus hit a guard rail and flipped over. Twenty-one
students were injured and one 13-year-old student was killed. Records indicated that the school bus driver had conducted a visual vehicle inspection prior to the crash. They also indicated that the tire pressure had been checked and filled with at least some air. A local television station investigating the crash obtained records from the Lancaster school district and reported that the tire was six years old (bus tire useful life is about six to 10 years) and the bus had approximately 21,500 miles on the odometer, according to reporting from WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tragic crash underscores the importance of
advanced preventive and predictive maintenance tech- nology, with archived data and records, to ensure the utmost safety and reliability in the transportation of pupils. Especially since all South Carolina school districts follow a rigorous inspection process that is taught at STN EXPO.
Addressing Maintenance Issues Proactively “At Fort Bend [Independent School District] ISD, we
rely on a structured preventive maintenance (PM) pro- gram supported by fleet management software to ensure
34 School Transportation News • MAY 2026
consistency and reliability across our fleet,” said Anthony Sims, the executive director of transportation for the Texas district. “Using a scheduled PM system allows us to plan inspections and services in advance while monitor- ing common issues associated with specific bus types, mileage intervals and usage patterns.” Sims added that while most districts have long utilized
preventive maintenance programs, modern fleet soft- ware has strengthened the ability to track service history, anticipate upcoming maintenance needs and reduce unplanned downtime. “This planned approach supports vehicle safety, ex- tends asset life and allows maintenance teams to address issues proactively rather than reactively,” he said. Meanwhile, Karim Johnson the director of student transportation for Dorchester County School District Four in St. George, South Carolina, highlighted his expe- rience with automated fleet maintenance technology, in both his current and previous roles. His familiarity with maintenance technology began
in previous roles at other school districts. Johnson said that his fleet services teams relied heavily on predictive and planned maintenance technology to manage fleet preventive maintenance and repairs. “Shortly after my arrival, we implemented the use of GPS/telematics hardware and software across the fleet,” said Johnson. “This allowed the maintenance team to strengthen their already data-driven approach by incorporating vehicle diagnostic data into routine ser-
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