Two leading Democrats on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation pressed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Wednesday to provide proof it can detect troubled private transportation companies that serve schools and municipalities. The letter from Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., adds congressional weight to concerns raised by a joint investigation by ProPublica and WBUR that found dozens of deadly collisions were missing from the safety record of Transdev, one of the nation's largest operators of public transit.

The senators sent their letter to the head of FMCSA, seeking documents showing how the agency ensures school bus safety data accuracy, what guidance it provides to law enforcement on reporting which organizations are involved in crashes, and why federal records show a dramatic drop in "enforcement actions" against companies under the current administration. The lawmakers also requested records specific to Transdev, including all inspections and crashes related to the French company over the past decade.

The investigation by ProPublica and WBUR began after the April 2025 death of a Boston kindergartner who was run over by his own school bus. Reporters found no indication in federal safety records that Transdev, which operated the bus, was involved in that crash. The newsrooms identified at least 42 fatal crashes connected to Transdev over the past decade that did not appear in FMCSA data.

What the Right Is Saying

Republican leadership of both the House and Senate committees responsible for transportation safety did not respond to requests for comment from WBUR and ProPublica after the June story was published. The newsrooms sought Republican perspectives on the investigation's findings before publication.

The Department of Transportation provided a statement through a spokesperson who said the agency "shares the Senators' commitment to the safe transportation of America's children." The statement continued: "We have received the Senators' letter, take the safety concerns raised very seriously, and are currently investigating the matter to provide a comprehensive response."

Transdev, in its own statement responding to the senators' letter, maintained that it complies with all applicable laws. "All incidents are thoroughly investigated," the company said. "Transdev complies with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements in every jurisdiction in which we operate, including federally mandated reporting standards... We have always followed federal regulations, as prescribed, and will continue to adhere to all requirements for reporting incidents."

What the Left Is Saying

Cantwell and Markey said accurate data is essential for protecting children and holding unsafe companies accountable. "Without accurate and complete data, it is impossible for FMCSA to properly target enforcement on unsafe companies, because the agency lacks the critical data needed to conclude they are unsafe," the senators wrote in their letter.

Markey was direct in his criticism of federal oversight. "It's clear U.S. DOT failed in its responsibility to hold unsafe truck and bus companies accountable," Markey said. "That's why Senator Cantwell and I are demanding answers from Trump's DOT about its lack of oversight of truck and bus companies with dangerous, alarming, and unknown track records."

Rep. Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, echoed those concerns. "We can't save lives if we don't have accurate data — which is why the recent reporting from ProPublica and WBUR about the gaps in our database was so disturbing," Larsen said.

The Democratic lawmakers are seeking a response from FMCSA by Aug. 12, including an explanation for why at least 42 fatal crashes connected to Transdev were not included in federal records over the past decade.

What the Numbers Show

The ProPublica/WBUR investigation found at least 42 fatal crashes connected to Transdev over the past decade that did not appear in FMCSA's federal safety database.

In three of those cases, bus drivers faced criminal charges. The driver involved in the April 2025 Boston death has pleaded not guilty to felony involuntary manslaughter in an ongoing case. In a 2017 crash in Taunton, Massachusetts, that left a woman dead, the bus driver pleaded guilty to misdemeanor negligent operation of a motor vehicle. A Transdev bus driver in Las Vegas in 2023 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after striking and killing a man.

The senators' letter specifically asked FMCSA why its data shows the number of "enforcement actions" against companies has dropped dramatically under the current administration, though specific figures were not included in publicly available documents.

The Bottom Line

The Senate inquiry puts pressure on FMCSA to demonstrate it can identify unsafe transportation companies before tragedies occur. Transdev operates school buses and public transit services for districts and municipalities across multiple states, meaning gaps in federal safety data could affect thousands of students and riders daily.

FMCSA has until Aug. 12 to provide the documents requested by Cantwell and Markey. The agency's response will likely determine whether this becomes a broader congressional investigation into transportation safety oversight or fades as a documentation dispute. Watch for any updates from DOT on its investigation timeline and whether Republican committee members engage with the findings once the Senate Democrats' formal inquiry proceeds.