Make traveling on charter buses safer

The charter bus that carried Farmingdale High School students, staff and supporters to band camp on that horrific day in September 2023 had been operating for a "prolonged" period with underinflated and damaged tires.  

When the left front tire blew as the bus was traveling on Interstate 84, it careened down an embankment, killing a band director and a chaperone, and injuring dozens of students.

State lawmakers have already addressed at least one concern that emerged from that tragedy —  requiring seat belts in charter buses and mandating that they be used by passengers.

But what became extraordinarily clear from the National Transportation Safety Board's final report, released this month, is that the Regency Transportation bus never should have been operating that day. The NTSB report illustrated in vivid, excruciating detail that the tires were in bad shape long before the accident. Among the findings: Small cracks in the tire belts indicated preexisting problems. Splits along the body of the tire and tread separation were signs of previous impact damage. And a blue tint on the tread fragments showed evidence of elevated tire temperature — a sign of long-term underinflation.

"Underinflated tires, particularly on large vehicles such as motorcoaches, negatively impact handling and, due to the higher friction and heat buildup, weaken the tire's structure, eventually causing blowout," the NTSB report said, noting that preexisting damage exacerbated the situation.

The bus had passed a semiannual state inspection the month before the crash, but Regency Transportation Ltd. itself had been on a list of "unacceptable" companies, as a third of its buses had enough problems to be placed out of service. The NTSB report found that Regency's "inadequate vehicle inspection process" was a contributing factor, noting that the tire pressure problems should have been apparent either from manual checks or through the tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS.

Now that questions have been answered and deficiencies identified, state officials, school leaders and bus company executives should learn from the findings. The NTSB report underscores the need to prioritize efforts to assess safety measures that might not be caught on cursory or visual inspections, or even on the more complete inspections required by the state Department of Transportation. The DOT should consider expanding its semiannual bus inspection requirements to include tire pressure checks and specific regular assessments of the tire pressure monitoring system to make sure it is functional and properly programmed. Beyond that, schools and state education officials should have access to charter bus companies' safety and inspection records. Schools should avoid working with any bus company the state deems "unacceptable."

As the Farmingdale community continues to heal nearly two years after the tragedy, their losses should at least have made a difference. When our students and staff next board a bus, we should be confident that we've done everything we can to keep them safe.