Present law generally limits the period that an LEA may use a school bus based on the number of years that the bus has been in service, the type of bus, and the bus's mileage as follows:
(1) A conventional school bus may be operated for 12 years subject to passing an annual safety inspection. The commissioner of safety may approve an additional five years of service if the conventional school bus is inspected twice a year. Any conventional school bus being used in a sixteenth or seventeenth year of service must have less than 200,000 miles use; and
(2) A Class D school bus may be operated for 15 years subject to passing an annual safety inspection. The commissioner of safety may approve an additional two years of service if the Class D school bus has less than 200,000 miles use and the bus is inspected twice a year.
This bill removes the mileage and age limits on school buses and instead requires that in order for a bus to continue in service as a school bus it must pass at least one safety inspection per year and any repairs that are indicated by the safety inspections must be made.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 38-8-305(a), 38-8-305