DiNapoli: MTA failed to properly inspect buses

Despite spending more per mile on its buses than other major cities, the MTA failed to properly inspect nearly half of its buses and most remain unreliable, according to a report released Thursday by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

“The MTA needs to step up bus maintenance performance and bring down maintenance costs.” DiNapoli said.

DiNapoli’s office only inspected the maintenance records of 23 buses of the fleet’s 6,215 (including the city and Long Island), but said that was statistically accurate for their conclusions.

According to the report, about 46 percent of 1,255 required inspections for the randomly selected buses were completed late, incorrectly, or not done at all.

MTA Chief Operating Officer Charles Monheim said in a letter to DiNapoli that the agency plans to save $4 million this year in bus upkeep.

The MTA didn’t dispute the report findings Thursday.

"The MTA agrees with most of the report's recommendations to help improve reliability and cost effectiveness and has taken steps in the past year to reduce bus maintenance costs,” it said in an email statement.

By the numbers:

 - 62 percent of bus depots didn't meet performance goals in 2009.

 - The MTA spent $777.7 million on bus maintenance in 2008.

-  52 percent of bus depots had buses break down before hitting the mileage mark for their inspections.