Bus and School Vehicle Inspections

Between June 1 and September 30, each year all Kansas School Buses, Activity Buses and School Passenger Vehicles shall be inspected. The inspection process is two-part with the first part being conducted by a mechanic knowledgeable about the mechanical systems of school buses and has a letter certifying his qualifications. The necessary forms and other information is found below.

The inspections shall meet the requirements of: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Appendix A to part 396 Minimum Periodic Inspection Standards (external link)

CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance) Inspection Bulletins (external link) this website provides links to bulletins providing guidance for inspecting items in in appendix A.

After the mechanic inspection is completed and documented on the appropriate form provided by the Kansas Department of Education, each Bus and School Passenger Vehicle shall be inspected by the Kansas Highway Patrol to determine whether the mechanical inspection was completed, and the school vehicle is equipped with the appropriate safety devices, and those devices are in proper working order.

This two-part inspection process is critical to the safe operation of Kansas School Buses and School Vehicles.  No school bus, activity bus or school passenger vehicle shall be used to transport students until the inspection process has been completed, and the bus is in proper working order.

Any school bus, activity bus, or school passenger vehicle that is purchased at any time following the required annual inspection period shall be inspected before being used to transport students.

School and Activity Bus and School Passenger Vehicle Inspection Forms

Please note these two forms are for Non-Electric vehicles

School/Activity Bus Part I MECHANIC & Part II KHP Inspection Form (PDF) The Kansas State Department of Education's official Part I Mechanic and Part II KHP Inspection form for school & activity buses. These two forms are combined into one single document to allow like form fields such as the VIN to populate from one entry, alleviating the need to type fields more than once which are duplicated on these two forms.

School Passenger Vehicle Inspection Form Part I & II (PDF) The Kansas State Department of Education's official school passenger vehicle safety inspection form. To be utilized by the mechanic and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Both the Mechanic Inspection Form and the Kansas Highway Patrol Inspection Form shall be given to the Kansas Highway Patrol Officer performing the inspections with copies of each maintained by the school district or contract transportation provider.

Electric School Bus and Electric School Passenger Vehicle Inspection Forms

Electric School Bus Part I MECHANIC & Part II KHP Inspection Form (PDF)

Electric School Passenger Vehicle Part I MECHANIC & Part II Inspection Form (PDF)

Printing Information for Inspection Forms

The School/Activity Bus Part I & II Inspection forms are combined into one single document to allow like form fields such as the VIN to populate from one entry, alleviating the need to type fields more than once which are duplicated on these two forms. When printing the School/Activity Bus Part I & II Inspection forms it is mandatory for each individual form (Mechanic & KHP) to be printed on separate single sheet of paper. The school district/contractor is responsible for making copies after the KHP completes their inspection. The appropriate KSDE Dedicated Electric Vehicle Inspection forms shall be utilized for all electric vehicles.

Macintosh users must have Acrobat or Reader installed and be viewing the PDF in Acrobat or Reader for the form to work. Many Mac users have the Preview Application as their default PDF viewer, and it does not support many interactive features.

1. Open the Inspection form.
2. Save/Download the Inspection form to your computer.
3. Locate the Save/Downloaded file on your computer and open with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.
4. Fill out the form and save.

Inspection Help Documents

Kansas Department of Education School/Activity Bus & School Vehicle Inspection Information and Guidelines (PDF) Document to provide guidance and be a resource for the inspection process of school/activity buses and school vehicles in the state of Kansas.

After both the mechanic and Kansas Highway Patrol inspections are completed successfully the Kansas Highway Patrol will issue an inspection sticker to be placed on the lower left side of the front windshield. Inspection Sticker Information (PDF)

Mechanic Inspection Qualification Letter

Mechanic Letter (PDF) to be signed by a mechanic certifying that they are knowledgeable in performing vehicle inspections in compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Kansas State Department of Education regulations.

Inspectors performing Part I Mechanic Inspections of an ELECTRIC bus or an ELECTRIC school passenger vehicle shall receive training approved by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) prior to performing the inspection. All inspectors performing the Part I Mechanic inspection shall complete the current KSDE Mechanic Inspector Qualification Letter certifying they have received training on proper mechanical inspection procedures developed by the OEM for the electric bus or school passenger vehicle they are inspecting.

School Vehicle Tires

Tires do age and the age does affect the integrity of the tire, however there is not any Kansas law or regulation which requires tires to be replaced at a certain age. It should also be noted there are a number of factors which affect the aging process of tires and not all tires age the same.

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) state some tire manufacturers RECOMMEND replacing tires after 6-10 years regardless of tread wear. NHTSA Tire Recommendations (external weblink) bases tire replacement based solely on the age of the tire would be a district decision.

School vehicle tires, if repaired, should meet U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the tire manufacturer’s recommended puncture and repair procedures. Puncture Repair Procedures Document (external weblink)

School vehicle tires may be purchased off of Kansas State Contracts. For more information use the "Contract Search" on the State of Kansas eSupplier Portal (Kansas Department of Administration webpage)