After taking the reins in August, Wareham Public Schools Transportation Manager Jeff Tatro has been creating a maintenance schedule for the district's aging bus fleet, as well as streamlining operations.

"All of our buses currently meet or exceed all safety standards," Tatro told the School Committee Wednesday, Dec. 8, during a report on the department's operations. "Anytime there's a problem or a defect, it's repaired very quickly."

Tatro said he's implemented a preventative maintenance system, which alerts district mechanics when maintenance on each vehicle is due. The software has "been a big help in maintaining the fleet," he said.

Concerns were raised early this year regarding the district's aging buses and the number of failed Registry of Motor Vehicles inspections in recent years. The buses were last inspected by the RMV in August, two weeks after Tatro arrived. Of the 48 buses inspected, 32 passed immediately, Tatro said. Minor problems were fixed on the failed buses, which were reinspected, and then passed.

"I'm not going to say whether it's good or it's bad, but it's an improvement," Tatro said.

Tatro called some failures "fluky," explaining that though all buses were examined by district mechanics before the scheduled RMV inspection and repaired when necessary, problems occurred during the inspections, and caused failures. For example, an emergency buzzer on one bus sounded when tested by mechanics, and then failed to sound when inspected by the RMV, resulting in an automatic failure, Tatro explained.

"In your best estimation, even though we had 12 vehicles not pass, are our children safe today," School Committee Chair Cliff Sylvia asked.

Tatro responded: "One-hundred percent. I would not allow a bus on the road if it were not safe."

Though he noted that the district is in need of new buses, Tatro was not concerned with the age of the fleet. "Everyone's saying 'older' like it's necessarily a bad thing," he said. The buses "do meet all of our standards, all of our state requirements."

The average age of the fleet is eight-years-old. The cost of maintaining the buses has prompted the town and School Department to examine whether it is cost-effective to continue operating an in-house fleet. Both are currently seeking proposals from outside vendors for a busing contract.

In addition to preventative maintenance, Tatro said he has been working on staffing and scheduling. He has filled vacant positions, and established a new schedule for part-time staff. The department has been able to operate without mechanics working overtime, he said.

"We're about where we need to be [in number of employees] to do everything that needs to get done," Tatro said.

School Committee members were pleased with the report. The Committee had given Tatro some time to get acclimated before requesting an update.

Citing the fewer bus failures and the reduction in overtime, "it sounds like there's more hands on, and accountability" in the department, said School Committee member Kenneth Fontes.