Regency Transportation was the bus operator involved in the fatal crash of a Farmingdale High School band bus. The bus was new to the company’s fleet and passed a semi-annual inspection when it was purchased in August. However, Regency Transportation failed five out of 15 safety inspections in the state’s 2023 fiscal year.
The bus was one of six traveling with band members to camp. The two dead passengers were the high school’s band director, Gina Pellettiere, and a chaperone, Beatrice Ferrari.
Federal investigators will look into the bus operator and its drivers to see how they comply with federal regulations.
Two longtime teachers, Gina Pellettiere and Beatrice Ferrari, were killed and multiple students were injured in the crash, police said.
The bus was new to Regency Transportation’s fleet and was inspected by New York’s transportation department for the first time in August 2023, according to Morrissey. It had passed its semi-annual inspection and underwent four additional random roadside inspections since 2021, Morrissey said, passing each of them. One of those inspections was conducted by the state’s transportation department, while the other three were done in other states.
Bus operators with a 25% or higher out-of-service rate, or vehicles that fail inspection, are rated “unacceptable,” according to the transportation agency. Regency Transportation Ltd.’s rate was 33% in the state’s 2023 fiscal year, department records show.
Operators listed under the “unacceptable” category are required to undergo at least two comprehensive safety inspections every year. They also may face a number of “corrective actions,” including violation notices leading to civil penalties and the suspension or revocation of interstate operating authority, according to New York’s transportation department.
Other buses operated by the company failed seven safety inspections over the past two years, Morrissey. Most of the problems investigators identified were related to braking systems, and those buses were immediately taken out of service “until rectified by the operator and verified by our inspectors,” Morrissey. Investigators also identified recordkeeping and rear axle issues on a few of them, he added.
Regency Transportation Ltd. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Preliminary information suggests a faulty front tire may have contributed to the crash, authorities said Thursday evening.
But the investigation continues, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Friday to probe what led up to the tragedy.
The agency, as of Friday, hadn’t yet spoken with the driver of the bus but was planning to as soon as possible, depending on her injuries, NTSB Investigator in Charge John Humm said during a Friday news conference. Humm said he didn’t know the status of her condition.
A team of seven NTSB investigators will remain at the crash site for the next few days, aiming to zero in on factors that may have led to the crash, Humm said. They will also work to determine whether the bus had a dash camera.
