Students are not the only ones receiving top grades at Westfield Washington Schools. For 16 years in a row all of the district’s school buses passed the annual inspection conducted by the Indiana State Police. The district’s 80 buses were “approved” by the ISP inspectors meeting all of the prescribed safety requirements and received a valid certificate of inspection.
The buses now proudly display the approved decal which indicates the bus passed inspection without any defects and is ready to transport children. The inspectors examined every aspect of the bus, including steering mechanisms, brakes, exhaust systems, interior and exterior lighting as well as the cleanliness of the bus.
Transportation Director Jack Hart is extremely proud of his team of mechanics headed by Chuck Abel, head mechanic, and mechanics Russell Bliss, James Hart and Jason Scherer. The mechanics are responsible for the year round maintenance of the fleet.
“They do an outstanding job maintaining our school bus fleet,” said Hart. “The state inspection verifies their commitment of ensuring the buses are in top condition to safely transport our students.”
The mechanics are responsible for the maintenance of 101 school owned vehicles and approximately another 100 vehicles belonging to the city of Westfield. The school and the city have an agreement for fuel and maintenance and it has proven to be a win-win situation for both entities, but more importantly for the taxpayers.