Five-year-old Lens Joseph was struck and killed by a school bus in Hyde Park in April. Boston officials commissioned an independent investigation into the school transportation system and its contractor Transdev. The investigation identified insufficient record-keeping, incomplete and unreliable driver training files, lack of reliable data showing training reduces preventable accidents, and absence of meaningful, sustained auditing and oversight by Transdev and Boston Public Schools. The driver involved had an expired school bus certificate. Officials placed the driver on leave, increased safety meetings, and announced implementation of all recommendations. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office is investigating and could file criminal charges.
The investigation found that Transdev, the company that runs the BPS bus system, has an "insufficient" record-keeping system and "incomplete and unreliable" driver training files. It also found that Transdev "lacks reliable, data-driven evidence" of how its training programs reduce preventable accidents. Finally, the investigators determined that neither Transdev nor BPS has put "meaningful and sustained auditing and oversight mechanisms" in place.
The findings are particularly notable in light of the fact that the driver involved in the fatal crash had an expired school bus certificate. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, officials reviewed the specifics of what occurred, placed the driver on leave, and increased the number of safety-related meetings between BPS leaders and Transdev staff. Separately, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident and could potentially file criminal charges.
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