The anonymous allegation about harmful exhaust fumes inside Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) buses was unfounded. Test results proved that the air quality inside buses is safe. The results for each bus that was tested were significantly below the assigned occupational exposure limits.
An anonymous complaint was filed last month with OSHA, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, stating that there were harmful exhaust fumes inside some Mountain Metropolitan Transit buses. The complaint was filed against McDonald Transit Associates, the company that contracts with MMT to operate and maintain the city’s buses. An environmental safety company, SRP Environmental, was hired by McDonald to test the air quality in buses. Bus drivers themselves chose which buses should be tested.
“We fully expected the results would show that the air in our buses is clean and safe,” said Craig Blewitt, MMT director. “Our buses are well-maintained and we have a rigorous program in place to ensure bus safety.” The program includes annual safety inspections by the State Highway Patrol, annual emissions tests, daily bus inspections by drivers, and regularly scheduled preventive maintenance. “Our community can be fully confident that City buses are safe,” Blewitt said.
