RTD Reports in 2 Districts : Key Bus Parts Are Not Replaced on Schedule

Internal RTD reports show that safety-related parts on many of the transit system’s buses--particularly steering and braking components--have not been changed at recommended intervals.

The reports prepared earlier this month in two of the Southern California Rapid Transit District bus divisions--South Bay and Long Beach--indicate that the majority of power steering gearboxes on buses are overdue for replacement based on the district’s own maintenance schedules. In some cases, the steering units had nearly twice the recommended 175,000 miles.

The reports also showed that parts that control brake pressure--valves and diaphragms--are overdue for replacement on many buses.

“In my opinion, (those buses) shouldn’t be on the street,” said Jim Thomason, a former RTD administrator turned whistle-blower who worked for eight years maintaining records in the agency’s maintenance department and who supplied the reports Monday to reporters. “The units are supposed to be changed off at certain mileage in order to assure passenger safety.”

Thomason was laid off earlier this month in what was termed a cost-cutting move.

However, RTD officials denied that the reports revealed safety problems and said no bus accidents have been attributed to failures of the steering gear or brake system components.

Rich Davis, RTD’s director of equipment maintenance, insisted that the internal reports do not accurately reflect the current status of equipment changes on the buses. He also said the recommended intervals for some parts changes are outdated. Though not reflected in maintenance schedules, he said, maintenance officials have determined that some components, such as the steering gear, will last much longer than previously thought.

“I obviously could tighten up a little bit on the administration of these reports. . . . Where I am guilty is when I was looking at this report I should have asked why that is overdue . . . to see if the work had been done,” Davis said.

Thomason has also been highly critical of the district’s slow response to problems with a bus brake-pressure valve. Although there has been no official report linking the faulty valves to accidents, Thomason and other employees have suggested that the valves pose a major safety problem.

But RTD General Manager John Dyer told reporters Monday that the transit district carefully reviewed one bus accident reportedly involving the valve and “concluded the brakes were working quite well on that bus.”

Earl Clark, general chairman of the RTD bus drivers’ union, said that brake problems on buses have not been a significant problem and that he is aware of no problems with steering systems.