The Bx6 bus that barreled through the Bronx, terrorizing passengers as it slammed into multiple cars along a five-block stretch of Longwood Monday, had a history of brake problems, a Daily News investigation has found.
Maintenance records obtained by the Daily News show the bus had just been cleared for service just seven hours before the crash, after undergoing its third visit to a repair depot for reported brake issues in less than two weeks.
The records show the bus — a New Flyer XN60 dubbed No. 1040 — has had recurring braking complaints in recent weeks, as well as at least one seemingly unrelated mechanical issue that might have kept the vehicle out of service.
The MTA did not answer specific questions about the bus’ maintenance history, but a spokesperson said the bus involved in Monday’s crash had been properly cleared to carry passengers.
“The bus was fully inspected and passed all required safety checks before entering service,” Michael Cortez said in a statement. “No bus goes out with a known safety issue. The incident remains under investigation.”
Bus No. 1040 made headlines earlier this week when cops say its driver reported losing control as she approached Cauldwell Ave. on 163rd St. near the Forest Houses at around 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. The bus continued on along 163rd for five blocks, slamming into multiple cars along the way, before coming to a stop just short of the intersection with Prospect Ave.
Video shot inside the bus showed frightened passengers calling out in fear as they clung to their seats.
“She had to crash to slow the bus down,” one passenger told The News.
Shortly after the crash, the driver reported to NYC Transit’s Bus Command that her bus had suffered a “mechanical failure,” according to documents reviewed by The News. Specifically, a maintenance document reads, the bus’ “brakes failed to apply.”
The post-crash report is not the first time the bus’ brakes have been flagged. Issues with the anti-lock braking system, and the air-powered brakes in general, have plagued the bus for more than a month.
In the beginning of November, the bus was cleared to return to service after a West Farms Depot mechanic checked the bus for reports that a dashboard warning light indicated a problem with the articulated bus’ automatic traction-control system — a system that works in concert with the bus’ braking system.
The mechanic put the bus back into service on Nov. 2, reporting that, when he checked, the traction-control warning light was not on.
Less than a week later, on Nov. 8, a bus driver flagged that bus No. 1040’s brakes were applying on their own, without the pedal being pushed — a symptom one bus mechanic told The News could be caused by anything from an air leak to a fault with safety systems in the doors.
The maintenance records note that a mechanic couldn’t get the bus to brake on its own during a long road test, and put the bus back into service, writing, “Bus is good at this time.”
Then, on Thursday, Dec. 4, eleven days before Monday’s crash, the bus’ anti-lock brake system threw an error code. That weekend, on Dec. 7th, a mechanic working on the system replaced the anti-lock brake computer and one of the system’s wheel sensors, road-tested the bus, and reported no error codes, according to the maintenance records. The bus was put back into service.
Three days later, however, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, a bus driver reported that bus No. 1040 was “skidding on wet pavement” — a scenario a functioning anti-lock brake system is meant to avoid.
But maintenance records say the bus passed a basic brake-system check conducted the next day — Thursday, Dec. 11 — and once again was put back into service.
The following day, the bus was once again reported to have a brake problem — this time an issue with the air-actuated emergency brake. A mechanic reported finding a loose nut holding the relevant air valve in place. When the nut was tightened, the mechanic wrote, the parking brake system functioned normally.
That work was wrapped up just before 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 — seven hours before the crash.
“The entire incident is still currently under investigation,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow told The News this week. “The team is looking at everything — recent inspections, the operator’s history.”
“The details therein are still under investigation,” he added.
Asked for how long the bus was road-tested after the individual brake repairs, the MTA did not respond, nor did the agency indicate what it’s gleaned from the bus’ onboard data recorder. The MTA also declined to share bus No. 1040’s pre-trip inspection card with The News, or indicate whether it showed any issues with the bus.
Monday’s incident comes amid a Daily News investigation of how bus repairs are handled at the MTA’s roughly two-dozen depots.
As previously reported, hundreds of thousands of work orders for buses flagged for inspection or repairs show no record that the work was done by MTA work crews.
Bus No. 1040 had many hours of repair and inspection work logged, including for the braking system.
However the bus does have at least one open work order, according to the documents reviewed by The News.
On Nov. 24, a mechanic at West Farms found that the bus’ compressed-natural gas engine was down 8 quarts of oil — nearly a third of the engine’s 27-quart capacity. No subsequent records reviewed by The News indicate that an oil leak has been repaired in the intervening weeks. Oil leaks are considered a “critical defect” under NYC Transit policy, which states that a bus with a critical defect should no go into customer service pending repair.
The MTA declined to comment on bus No. 1040’s open work order.
