Five-year-old Lens Joseph was killed by a Boston Public Schools bus in April 2025 when the driver dropped him off on the wrong side of the street and then ran over him as he crossed in front of the vehicle, according to prosecutors. The driver had previously struck a postal truck, ignored a stop sign and missed several stops before arriving at Lens' house.
Transdev, a multinational company that has held Boston's sole school bus contract since 2013, hired and trained the driver involved in the crash. Yet a federal safety database maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows no record of Transdev being involved in the incident. An investigation by WBUR and ProPublica found at least 60 fatal Transdev crashes over the past decade, but only 18 appear under the company's name in FMCSA records, meaning 42 fatal collisions are not identified as Transdev's.
Transdev operates in 46 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, employing more than 30,000 people nationally. The company, based in France, also provides light rail and other public transit services under government contracts worth billions of dollars annually.
What the Right Is Saying
Industry representatives and some transportation experts say the data gaps stem from how crash reporting is structured rather than any deliberate attempt by companies to hide accidents. Transdev stated it complies with 'federally mandated reporting standards' and noted that responsibility for reporting crashes falls on law enforcement officers who respond to scenes.
In a written statement, Transdev said: 'Transparency and continuous improvement are central to our safety approach, and we work closely with oversight agencies and our clients to ensure our practices meet or exceed expectations.' The company declined to explain why fatal crashes appeared under other names in federal records but confirmed that most collisions identified by reporters matched their own internal records.
Some transportation analysts note that FMCSA's instructions for determining which motor carrier should be listed in crash reports are interpreted differently by police departments across jurisdictions. When a bus is contracted through a government agency, some officers list the hiring municipality rather than the operating company. Additionally, companies acquired by Transdev over the years may have crashes listed under their former names.
What the Left Is Saying
Transportation safety advocates say the data gap represents a systemic failure that puts children at risk. Peter Kurdock, general counsel with Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, called it 'a serious, serious gap in safety' and 'a serious, serious shortcoming when it comes to the regulation of these carriers by FMCSA.' The organization has pushed for years for improvements in how crash data is collected and reported.
Democratic lawmakers have increasingly focused on contractor accountability in public transit. The missing records mean local agencies awarding contracts cannot access complete safety histories through the FMCSA's online Safety Measurement System, potentially allowing companies with poor safety records to win bids they would otherwise lose.
Parent advocacy groups argue that when federal databases fail to track crashes accurately, school districts lack the information needed to make informed contracting decisions. In Boston, where Transdev holds an exclusive contract, officials had no way to see the full scope of fatal incidents tied to the company before or after awarding the busing agreement.
What the Numbers Show
According to WBUR and ProPublica analysis of FMCSA data: 18 fatal crashes appear under Transdev's name in federal records, while at least 60 total fatal crashes spanning at least 16 states are linked to company operations over the past decade. That means approximately 70% of fatal collisions involving Transdev vehicles do not appear under the company's safety record.
The FMCSA Safety Measurement System relies on crash data to generate safety ratings used by government agencies awarding transit contracts worth billions of dollars annually. When crashes are listed under acquired companies or hiring municipalities rather than operating carriers, the system cannot accurately flag unsafe operators.
Transdev's only school bus contract in the United States is with Boston Public Schools, where the company has operated exclusively since 2013. The company's broader U.S. operations include light rail and transit bus services across dozens of states.
The Bottom Line
The investigation raises questions about how federal regulators track safety records for large transportation contractors operating under government agreements. FMCSA did not respond to requests for comment on its crash reporting procedures or the gaps identified in Transdev's record.
Transdev reviewed lists of crashes that reporters connected to the company and confirmed most matched their internal records, though they did not have documentation for all incidents identified. The company maintained that reporting responsibility lies with law enforcement.
What happens next: Regulators could face pressure to revise how motor carriers are identified in crash reports. Congress may examine whether FMCSA's data collection methods adequately capture contractor-related incidents. Boston Public Schools, which has relied exclusively on Transdev since 2013, did not immediately comment on whether the investigation would affect future contracting decisions.