School bus driver ran over 5-year-old in Boston; company omitted death from federal safety record
In April 2025, a Transdev school bus driver dropped off 5-year-old Lens Joseph in Boston, then ran over him as he crossed in front of the bus. The investigation found that Lens' death—and dozens of others—does not appear in the federal crash records maintained by the bus company, which holds a $651 million contract with Boston Public Schools and transports approximately 19,000 students daily. The source documents how deaths involving the contractor have been omitted from official safety databases that federal regulators and school districts rely on to evaluate bus company performance.
📹 Source Video
✓ Verified
- ✓Lens Joseph, age 5, was run over by a school bus driver in April 2025 in Boston. (ProPublica investigation)
- ✓The incident occurred after the driver dropped off the child, who was then struck while crossing in front of the bus. (ProPublica investigation)
- ✓Transdev holds a five-year, $651 million contract with Boston Public Schools. (ProPublica investigation)
- ✓Transdev transports approximately 19,000 students daily. (ProPublica investigation)
- ✓The death does not appear in the bus company's federal crash records. (ProPublica investigation)
- ✓Dozens of other deaths involving the bus company are also missing from federal safety records. (ProPublica investigation)
~ Interpretation
- ~The omission of deaths from federal crash records undermines the ability of regulators and school districts to accurately assess bus company safety. (ProPublica analysis—significance of missing data)
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