Hank Investigates: Safe T hazard

Bus 223: engine oil and hydraulic leaks

Bus 261: bad brakes

Bus 8950: broken transmission mount, clogged exhaust, steering problems, and worn tires.

It's the hidden history commuters don't know. Our investigation found these T buses and hundreds more on the road with serious mechanical defects.

State inspections we obtained reveal widespread safety violations many so serious, they could result in a breakdown or accident.

This summer 4 bus fires in five weeks snarled traffic and frightened passengers.

MBTA Bus Passenger
"I am concerned."

Doreen's bus slammed into a car--we found her driver reported the bus's brakes failed.

Doreen, MBTA Bus Passenger
"It was nerve wracking and a couple of people on the bus were gasping because you knew there was going to be an impact."

And your next ride could also be risky. We obtained two years worth of state t bus safety inspections. Our analysis found hundreds of buses ordered out of service.

Buses with bad brakes, broken transmissions, oil soaked engines creating fire hazards. Leaking oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid and fuel.

Buses so unsafe, they had to be pulled off the road for repairs.

Hank
"The day before these were on the road."

Prof. Nigel Wilson/Public Transportation Expert, MIT
"Yes, that's a disturbing, disturbing finding."

And as we showed T officials last year only one in ten buses passed with no violations.

Hank
"How can all these buses fail inspection?"

Joe Pestaturo, MBTA
"It's not a good sign."

They insist: the T has a thorough maintenance program and say inspection failures do not put passengers at risk.

Joe Pestaturo, MBTA
"To expect buses t be 100 per cent perfect 100 percent of the time that would be naive."

This master mechanic showed us what can happen when maintenance is neglected, brakes can deteriorate.

Hank
"So this would be a critical problem?"

Tom Kearns, Certified Master Mechanic
"Yes, it would."

Steering can fail.

Hank
"And what can happen then."

Tom Kearns, Certified Master Mechanic
"There's going to be an accident."

He says he'd expect ten per cent of the buses to fail a spot inspection. But we found last year the T had almost 40 per cent.

Hank
"And what do you think about that?"

Tom Kearns, Certified Master Mechanic
"I think it is outrageous."

What's more, buses are also required, just like your car, to have an annual safety inspection and a sticker proving they passed.

But we found the Registry allows the T to inspect its own fleet. Reports reveal almost twenty per cent of the time, they just don't do it.

Hank
"Why aren't these buses being inspected:

Joe Pesaturo MBTA
"It's slipping through the cracks."

T officials admit for years, subway trains have gotten the money and attention. Now they promise, aging T buses are being replaced. But they know they right now: buses that should be in the shop, may be on the road.

Hank
"And the result of that is that they're unsafe to passengers."

Joe Pesaturo, MBTA
"Well, I'm not going to far as to say that, but I will say that we need to place a stronger emphasis on checking these buses thoroughly before they are leaving the garage."

What's also disturbing, we found state inspectors don't even get to every bus each year. And experts tell us: hundreds of uninspected buses could mean hundreds of missed violations.

(Copyright (c) 2005 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)