The Measure was Prompted by a Shortage of New Vehicles

Legislation sponsored by Senator Kristin Corrado to address the ongoing scarcity of new school buses was cleared by the Senate today.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Kristin Corrado to address the ongoing scarcity of new school buses was cleared by the Senate. (SenateNJ.com)

Corrado’s bill (A-3990/S-2593) extends the statutory service life of school buses by one year, providing relief for school districts and transportation companies scrambling to find replacements.

“The price of new buses and bus parts have skyrocketed since the pandemic and continuing supply chain problems,” said Corrado (R-40). “This bill would provide a respite, allowing safe vehicles to remain in service a little longer and providing time for the supply of new vehicles to catch up with demand.”

Currently, school buses manufactured since 2007 can remain in service until the end of the school in June, 20 years after the date of manufacture, and vehicles produced between April 1977 and January 2007 have a 15-year service life.

The bill adds one year of service to each class, and grants the chief of the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commission the authority to provide additional service life extensions, if necessary, until the 2024-2025 school year.

“This is a common-sense solution that will allow school children to be safely transported,” said Corrado. “If the buses are safe, well-maintained and suitable for transporting students, there’s no reason to pull them from service when replacements are difficult, if not impossible, to come by.”

The Assembly also passed the bill today, and it now moves to the Governor’s desk for consideration.