Frequency of under-hood bus checks varies by city

 Virginia Beach public schools are not the only ones confused by state regulations on school bus inspections.

Each school division in South Hampton Roads does the morning bus checks a different way.

Until this week, only Suffolk required its drivers to open the hood to check fluid levels every day.

On Monday, Virginia Beach told its drivers to start popping the hood. The change came after the state superintendent chastised the division in writing last week for not doing the checks daily.

Norfolk schools, by contrast, have trained mechanics to check under the hood every other day, and Portsmouth has drivers or technicians check once a week. Chesapeake does not require drivers to open bus hoods, relying instead on dashboard indicators and other required inspections by technicians.

All school bus drivers are mandated by state regulations to check the inside and outside of their buses every morning. At issue are more detailed steps such as checking coolant levels and shaking the shock absorbers under the bus.

Virginia Beach officials have said such inspections are better done by trained mechanics as part of a complete workup.

Today, the Virginia Association for Pupil Transportation will discuss the pre-trip inspections during a closed meeting in Albemarle County. The group includes transportation directors from Virginia school divisions, the state Department of Education and the private sector.

"Obviously, there's plenty of confusion, and I'm convinced it's not just here. It's all over the state," said John Hazelette, director of transportation for Norfolk schools.

The state is revising the regulations this year, but school divisions are still required to comply with the existing rules, said department spokesman Charles Pyle.

Hazelette said he will ask state officials at the meeting to accelerate the revision process. "We'd like this matter resolved once and for all before school starts."

Meanwhile, Pyle said annual training that will be held in Norfolk in July should also help clear up any questions on how to perform pre-trip inspections. "We demonstrate how this is done," Pyle said.

With changes in technology, said Suffolk transportation director Lonnie Reavis, "there may be a need for some changes to be made."

Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com