Some Fort Bend ISD bus drivers are claiming that mechanics are spending so much time filling in for the district’s understaffed driver ranks that repair work is having to be outsourced, but district officials say outside repair shops are only used for specialized work that the district cannot do.

Sources close to the district’s transportation department recently provided Fort Bend Now with over two dozen invoices for bus repair work done by a company called Lassetter –LaFour in Channelview. The invoices, which are dated from May of 2007 to January of this year, show thousands of dollars of repair work done to district buses.

Transportation employees told Fort Bend Now that the invoices were indicative of how much the district is spending because mechanics are driving bus routes instead of working on the buses.

“It’s not unusual at all that mechanics have to be used to drive routes,” one driver said. “When you’re running the routes twice a day, it doesn’t leave the time needed to work on the buses, so the district is having to send them out.”

Another driver said it’s a sore spot to see the district saying it does not have the money to pay drivers more, but at the same time be willing to spend thousands of dollars on outside repair work.

“The money they could save by using their own mechanics to do the work could be used to give the bus drivers a raise,” the driver said.

Both drivers asked that their names not be used.

“I’m sure the district would rather we not be talking about his,” one said.

In response to the allegations, the district said the bus drivers are talking about repairs that could not have been done by district mechanics and need to be sent to specialized repair shops. The outsourcing, FBISD’s Chief Communication Officer Mary Ann Simpson said, is not related to staffing issues.

“(It) is important to know that we are not sending buses to Lassetter- LaFour because we do not have enough mechanics. The buses sent to LaFour are for specific work on the transmission – work that the district is not able to perform,” Simpson said in an e-mailed statement. “We do not repair transmissions in-house because it requires a special expertise and tools which we do not have. Lassiter LaFour was in fact awarded our bid for transmission repair work.”

Transportation Director Richard Torres added that the transmission work done by Lassetter-LaFour also comes with a warranty.

Lassetter-LaFour represents a vendor that primarily is used to repair and or provide rebuilt transmission(s) for district vehicles. In most cases when a transmission has reached the end of its life cycle, the transmission is replaced by a rebuilt transmission rather than having the transmission repaired in-house,” Torres pointed out. “This course of action is typically what most schools districts exercise. Furthermore, it will allow the customer or district the ability to receive the rebuilt transmission with a full warranty. This is no different than if a starter or alternator reached the end of its life cycle. In short, these particular types of equipment require a specific work/repair environment and special tools to even attempt to repair in-house.”

Torres also pointed out that it was important to note that there are multiple variables that are considered before any major repair involving transmissions is considered. These variables may include the age, mileage and the overall condition of the vehicle. Also, some buses have been sent to Lassetter-LaFour to do warranty repair.

A review of the invoices provided to Fort Bend Now revealed that while many do, in fact, relate to transmission work on school buses, almost a dozen were for non-transmission issues.

One from October included troubleshooting engine oil leaks, air filter replacement, repair of an ignition switch and repair of wiring to the starter. That invoice totaled $3,041.51. Another invoice from November totaled over $4,700 for such work as repair to the bus spindle assembly, king pins, tie rods, wheel seals and bearing, steer axle shocks and bolts and adjustment of the toe-in.

An invoice from December detailed troubleshooting a “battery draw,” replacement of a fuse panel assembly and rewiring of the stop sign circuit. That invoice was for $1,149.68. Another from October showed Lassetter-LaFour troubleshooting a water leak in the engine and replacement of the water pump and thermostat at a cost of $1,160.50.

Other non-transmission repairs contained on Lassetter-LaFour invoices included a variety of engine oil leaks, air conditioning work, electrical work and the replacement of engine gaskets.

The invoices provided to Fort Bend Now that showed repair work on items other than transmissions totaled over $17,000.