A bus company which operates school services has been given a warning over its poor maintenance standards after a public inquiry in Edinburgh.
At the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland hearing, Teejay Travel Ltd, which operates from Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath, was found to have not completed safety inspections on time and kept inadequate records.
The bus firm, which operates in Arbroath, Friockheim and Brechin, was also found to have a poor MOT pass rate.
Teejay Travel has held a standard national public service vehicle operator’s licence since August 2007 and operates seven local services, predominantly serving schools.
The inquiry, in front of Scotland’s Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken, followed a warning letter being issued to the firm in 2009 following an earlier unsatisfactory investigation.
An examiner from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) told Miss Aitken routine safety inspections, which should have taken place every six weeks, had not been completed on time.
He said during a maintenance investigation visit in February this year, he raised concerns the company records did not record mileage and a couple failed to record tyre tread depth.
He added the firm’s forward planning was “short” and the annual pass rate “was poor”. The one vehicle examined at the maintenance investigation had no observable defects and the workshop was modern.
This evidence was accepted by the firm’s director and transport manager Thomas Jordan, who attended the inquiry.
The company has recently commissioned an audit of its procedures and their mechanic had been sent on a VOSA inspection training course.
Thomas Jordan’s daughter Jennifer Jordan was appointed as a director in 2008 and the inquiry heard she hopes to take over the business in five years’ time and will study for the operator’s Certificate of Professional Competence.
Miss Aitken said: “Fortunately, there is no prohibition history of any seriousness. I am prepared to believe Mr Jordan is serious about his responsibilities and for a short time he took his eye off the ball, to use his words.
“Therefore, I shall not take action which affects the current authorisation and I conclude this inquiry with a warning.”
Speaking on Monday, Miss Jordan, who also attended the hearing, said: “The safety of our passengers has always been very important to us and will continue to be the case.
“Unfortunately, the administration part of our operation let us down on this occasion. We have taken on board the feedback from VOSA and the Traffic Commissioner and will ensure we are not in the same position again.”