How the School Bus Recall Impacts East Texas

Thousands of school buses are being recalled over safety issues, and your child might still be riding in one while this works itself out.  

Daimler Trucks North America is the parent company of Thomas Built Buses, and it's recalling 53,528 school buses over worries about the seats.

If you've ever ridden in a school bus you know the seats are more like benches, and not exactly equipped with the same safety features that we find in cars, trucks, and SUVs.  But there are new concerns about the bus seats because they may not comply with federal safety standards.  The seats in the recalled buses "may have been built with styrene blocks that may not provide enough impact absorption in some areas around the steel seat frame of the back support."

Bus models from 2014 to 2020 are affected, and they'll start notifying dealers and customers about what needs to be done on Dec. 2.  In the meantime, the buses around East Texas are still running their routes.

To fix the issue, they'll install more "impact material" and new backing on the seats, and school districts won't have to pay for it.  So in the end, those bench-like seats could get little cushier, and a little more comfortable if football players feel like taking a nap on a long ride home after a late game.

Think any of the riders will actually notice the difference?  If your kids are like mine, they're a little aloof to certain details, and unless it's got a Minecraft logo on it, a new cover on a bus seat will probably sneak right past them.  But parents should know what's up, and now we know that East Texas buses affected by the recall will have some extra cushioning soon.

Bus owners with questions can call DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712.