Wentzville School Buses Nearly Perfect After More Than a Million Miles

The Wentzville School District bus fleet passed inspection with flying colors again this year.

The district issued a press release reporting spring bus inspections conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol are complete, and the district qualified for an Exemplary School Bus Maintenance award.

The award, given by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, recognizes the bus fleet's 95.6 percent approval rate for first inspections.

The state average score for first inspections runs about 85 percent, the district reported.

Only six of the district's buses had minor issues, and those issues were quickly repaired and re-inspected. No buses were taken out of service.

The quick repairs meant 100 percent of the buses passed final inspection.

The district also qualifies for the Highway Patrol's Certificate of Fleet Excellence.

Director of Transportation Jennifer Simpson said her staff were proud that the awards were the result of a team effort.

"We know that our Wentzville school buses are a highly visible representation of the district's emphasis on student safety, and achieving this score shows the professionalism of our entire department," she said.

During the 2011-12 school year, Wentzville School District buses traveled 1,632,772 miles, transporting 9,000 students every day, the district reported.

The district's transportation department moved to its current facility on Hwy. A in August of 2011. At that time, Simpson told Patch that the new shop would finally allow the district to maintain its own buses.

"We do all the repairs except for body work," Simpson said.

READ MORE: Wentzville School Transportation Facility is State-of-the-Art