Two leading Democrats on a U.S. Senate committee that oversees transportation safety on Wednesday called on the country’s bus regulator to provide evidence that could uncover troubled private companies that serve schools and municipalities.
The letter from Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee further highlights concerns expressed by elected officials regarding federal regulations and Transdev. A WBUR and ProPublica investigation found dozens of fatal crashes were missing from the safety record of one of the nation’s largest public transit operators.
The letter was sent to the Commissioner of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Lawmakers asked the agency for documentation showing how it ensures the accuracy of its school bus safety data, what guidance it provides law enforcement agencies on how to report organizations and businesses involved in accidents, and why FMCSA data shows the number of “enforcement actions” against businesses has decreased dramatically under the Trump administration.
The senators also asked FMCSA, part of the Department of Transportation, for records specific to Transdev, the focus of WBUR and ProPublica’s investigations. Newsrooms began reporting after a Boston kindergartener was struck and killed by his own school bus in April 2025. According to the publication, there was no indication in federal safety records that Transdev, the company operating the bus, was involved in the accident.
The Department of Transportation did not respond to WBUR and ProPublica’s questions about the letter or its coverage, but a spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the department “shares the senator’s commitment to the safe transportation of America’s children.”
“We received the senator’s letter and take the safety concerns raised very seriously and are currently investigating the matter to provide a comprehensive response,” the statement continued.
Transdev said in a statement in response to the senators’ letter that the company takes safety seriously and “all incidents are thoroughly investigated.”
“Transdev complies with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions in which we operate, including federally mandated reporting standards,” the statement said. “It is important to emphasize that we have always followed federal regulations as prescribed and will continue to comply with all incident reporting requirements.”
News investigations revealed dozens of other fatal crashes involving Transdev that were not listed in the records. Criminal charges have been filed against the bus driver in Lens Joseph’s death and at least two others.
The driver in Lenz’s case has pleaded not guilty in the ongoing felony manslaughter case. A bus driver has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle in the 2017 crash that killed a woman in Taunton, Massachusetts. Another Transdev bus driver also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after the bus he was driving struck and killed a man in Las Vegas in 2023.
The senators are asking for a list of all inspections and crashes linked to the French company by Aug. 12, as well as records explaining why federal agency records do not include at least 42 fatal crashes linked to the company over the past 10 years.
“Without accurate and complete data, it will be impossible for FMCSA to properly enforce unsafe companies because FMCSA lacks the critical data needed to conclude that they are unsafe,” the senators said in their letter.
“It is clear that the U.S. Department of Transportation has failed in its responsibility to hold unsafe truck and bus companies accountable,” Markey said. “That’s why Sen. Cantwell and I are demanding answers from President Trump’s Department of Transportation regarding the lack of oversight of truck and bus companies with dangerous and alarming track records.”
WBUR and ProPublica reached out to the Republican leadership of both transportation safety committees for comment after the article was published in June, but did not receive a response.
Rep. Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said accurate data is the key to making good policy.
“You can’t save lives without accurate data, which is why recent reports from ProPublica and WBUR about database gaps were so concerning,” Larsen said.
On July 17, Boston City Councilmember Erin Murphy sent a written request to state school regulators for an independent review of traffic safety in Boston Public Schools. She said she is concerned that Boston Public Schools is not revealing the full extent of the Transdev conflict issue.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who represents the Boston area where 5-year-old Lens was killed, also called on FMCSA to investigate Transdev.
“No company or contractor should operate without fully accounting for their safety record,” Pressley said in a written statement. “The safety of our children must come first.”
