Review Finds 16 School Bus Companies Repeatedly Failed to Meet Safety Documentation Standards

TRENTON-A follow-up review by the Office of the State Comptroller finds that 16 school bus companies in eight counties have repeatedly failed to submit documentation showing drivers met minimum safety standards before the start of the school year.

Data showed that 109 school bus companies in 14 counties failed to submit the documentation, including proof that drivers had criminal background checks and commercial drivers' licenses, prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year. OSC conducted a follow-up to see if the same 109 companies complied prior to the start of the 2025-2026 school year and found substantial improvement, but 16 companies had once again missed the deadline, according to the letter OSC sent to the NJ Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer.

OSC found the following 16 companies failed to submit the required documents by September 8, 2025, though 13 submitted documentation by November 1, 2025.

1. Dinar School Transport (Bergen County);
2. All Occasions Transport Service (Camden County);
3. Retabe School Transportation (Essex County);
4. Scholar Transportation (Essex County);
5. Timeless Transportation (Hudson County);
6. Glory Transportation (Middlesex County);
7. Belz Institution of Lakewood (Ocean County);
8. Tiferes Yisroel (Ocean County);
9. United Talmudical Academy (Ocean County);
10. Wilderness Eagle (Ocean County);
11. AAA School LLC (Passaic County);
12. Denee Tours (Passaic County);
13. E & S School Trans (Passaic County);
14. Today's Learning Center (Passaic County);
15. Kenneth V.L. Conover a.k.a. Kenneth Conover Transportation (Somerset County);
16. Quest Transportation Inc. (Somerset County).

For this follow-up, OSC also reached out to all 109 companies and found several issues with the data that the Department of Education's Office of School Bus Safety (OSBS) had provided to OSC for the 2024-2025 school year. Among the issues, many bus companies told OSC that they had problems submitting the documentation, with several telling OSC that they were required to hand deliver the packages. Based on OSC's findings, OSC reiterates recommendations made previously and also urges OSBS to modernize its systems and work with the counties to create a standardized, electronic submission process.

The absence of documentation does not mean these companies' drivers lacked training, background checks, or other necessary credentials, but it does mean that OSBS had not received documentation proving that drivers from these companies were qualified prior to the start of the school year.

After a series of tragic school bus accidents, the Legislature established OSBS in 2022 to oversee enforcement and ensure that the State prevents contracted bus companies from putting children in danger.

OSBS has made notable strides in improving bus company compliance with the Annual Certification submission requirements over the past few years. But, OSC's latest review found more needs to be done, including making it easier for bus companies to comply with these important requirements.

Read the report.

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To report government fraud, waste, mismanagement, or corruption, file a complaint with OSC or call 1-855-OSC-TIPS.