Impromptu Inspections Reveal Unsafe Buses

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MAY 13, 2026—Early Tuesday and Wednesday morning, spot safety inspections were conducted by TWU Local 100 at bus depots across Brooklyn and Queens, revealing that hundreds of MTA buses scheduled to service riders were unsafe.

Local 100 VPs, Division Chairs, members of the Safety Team and others fanned out to the depots, pulling the buses found unfit for the road out of service.

“Between yesterday and today hundreds of buses were found with defects that prevented them from safely going out on runs and performing passenger service,” said Alexander Kemp, Administrative Vice President of Local 100 and a Bus Operator by trade.

The assessments were conducted in accordance with a full 19-A pre-trip inspection, as outlined by the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law’s Article 19-A which establishes special requirements for bus drivers.

At Jackie Gleason Bus Depot in Brooklyn, there were numerous issues with the vehicles, including broken components and malfunctioning parts, said Kemp.

It was no better in Queens.

“One of the biggest complaints we hear from our Bus Operators is that they’re (management) not doing preventative maintenance,” said MTA Bus/Private Bus Lines/School Bus Vice President Danny D’Amato, who was at LaGuardia Depot. “They’re pushing buses out of the depot with multiple safety defects, as we’ve seen today. If we weren’t here to do inspections all these buses would be sent out on the road.”

Buses from LaGuardia were reported to have a wide variety of issues, including many elements that were integral to the safe operation of buses.

Additionally, safety inspections conducted by the Maintenance Division Team at Fresh Pond Bus Depot revealed a similar array of defects.

“Nearly 100 unsafe buses were pulled from service yesterday during union safety inspections,” said TA Surface Vice President Gary Rosario on Wednesday. “This is a serious failure of maintenance oversight and proof that frontline workers’ safety concerns are real. Unsafe buses should never be carrying passengers on New York City streets.”