Local 100 Exposes MTA's Falsifying of Bus Safety Records

JULY 1, 2026—Last night, ABC7’s N.J. Burkett reported a blockbuster story exposing the MTA’s falsifying of bus maintenance records, jeopardizing Bus Operators, the riding public and anyone else on the road.

Armed with the records proving widespread fraud, TWU Local 100 has blown the lid off of senior MTA management's concealing of serious bus maintenance failures through their systematic clearing of repair orders that were never completed. 

Following surprise 19A inspections at bus depots across the city, the union has uncovered buses with serious safety defects—including cracked windshields, inoperative lights, brake issues and other unresolved mechanical problems—that should never have been returned to service.

Local 100 President John V. Chiarello said the records paint a troubling picture of an agency more focused on making maintenance problems disappear on paper than actually fixing them in the garages.

The union’s investigation revealed evidence of work orders that show Bus Maintainers being credited with repairs while they were off duty, on personal leave—not even at the depot. Maintenance Directors Tommy Lenane and Mike Rehn said the records reveal a pattern in which critical "redline hold" defects involving brakes, steering, and tires were marked as repaired despite no work having been performed.

Union officials researched and reported these issues internally before bringing it to management’s attention two years ago and escalated to the MTA Inspector General, only to see the deceptive practices continue.

The falsified maintenance records show a pervasive pattern in which the MTA values the appearance of productivity ahead of public safety. Defiant in the face of overwhelming evidence, the MTA calls the revelations  "bogus" while maintaining that buses receive the required safety inspections. We say that our documentation deserved an independent investigation, not a casual dismissal.

Our findings expose a management culture driven by chronic understaffing and mounting maintenance backlogs, where unresolved repairs are simply erased from official records instead of being completed. 

In light of this reporting, the union is demanding a long-overdue scrutiny of the management directives and record-keeping practices by New York City Transit that are directly affecting the safety of our riders and the lives of our members.