SIOUX CITY, IA -
A lot of kids ride a bus to and from school every day, but when they leave should you be worried about their safety?
The state of Iowa requires school buses to be inspected, but some other vehicles don't require that official inspection.
The Sioux City Community School District has more than 60 buses, but it also has six other vehicles that don't get an official state "once over."
Those big yellow buses have been taking Sioux City kids to and from school for a few weeks, and if they're not running smoothly they end up at the Sioux City Schools Operations Center where they get fixed up and inspected twice a year.
"The reflector inside was loose, so the headlight was aiming off to the side," said Sioux City School Mechanic Phil Choquette.
The schools has six vans, called activity vehicles.
Since they don't travel a regular route every day, and carry 9 students or less, the state doesn't require them to have safety inspections.
Ray Rowe is the Sioux City School's Operations Supervisor.
He says even though the state doesn't require it, those vehicles get looked over, and often.
"We service those vehicles every 3,000 miles," said Rowe.
If you drive those vans 3,000 more miles, Ray says his team of mechanics do an even more in depth inspection.
"Every 6,000 miles we take and pull the hubs, check the brakes, check the exhaust system, we check the front end, the rear end on them," said Rowe. "We completely go through it every 6,000 miles."
So, whether your kids are riding a bus or not, Ray has a guarantee about that school vehicle.
"If they're not safe to drive we will not let them out of this yard," said Rowe.
A lot of vehicles typically need more work as they get older, so to keep the fleet in good shape Sioux City Schools rotate those activity vehicles out and buy new ones every 7 or 8 years.
