On Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation pressed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to demonstrate its ability to identify unsafe private bus companies serving schools and municipalities. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) raised concerns about federal regulations and the safety record of Transdev, one of the nation's largest public transit operators.

A joint investigation by WBUR and ProPublica uncovered that dozens of deadly collisions involving Transdev were absent from federal safety records. The reporting was initiated after the April 2025 death of a Boston kindergartner who was run over by his own school bus, operated by Transdev; however, the crash was not reflected in federal data.

The senators sent a letter to the FMCSA head requesting documentation on how the agency ensures the accuracy of school bus safety data, guidance provided to law enforcement for crash reporting, and explanations for the significant drop in enforcement actions against companies during the Trump administration.

Transdev responded, stating, “Transdev complies with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements in every jurisdiction in which we operate, including federally mandated reporting standards. It is important to emphasize that we have always followed federal regulations, as prescribed, and will continue to adhere to all requirements for reporting incidents.”

Additionally, a Transdev bus driver pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after a 2023 incident in Las Vegas where the bus struck and killed a man.

The senators emphasized the critical need for accurate data, saying, “Without accurate and complete data, it is impossible for FMCSA to properly target enforcement on unsafe companies, because the agency lacks the critical data needed to conclude they are unsafe.” Senator Markey criticized the Department of Transportation (DOT), stating, “DOT failed in its responsibility to hold unsafe truck and bus companies accountable. That’s why Senator Cantwell and I are demanding answers from Trump’s DOT about its lack of oversight of truck and bus companies with dangerous, alarming, and unknown track records.”