School bus company's inspection history in question after kids hurt in Hamline University crash

Data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety shows the company that owns the school bus that crashed into a building Tuesday at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has failed the majority of its inspections over the last three years.Three students from the St. Paul charter school Higher Ground Academy and their bus driver suffered minor injuries when the vehicle crashed into the Robbins Science Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to the St. Paul Police Department. All four have since been released from the hospital. About a dozen students were on board at the time.Police say the driver "did not exhibit any signs of intoxication or impairment." Patrick Boyle, the attorney representing the St. Paul-based bus company Pride Transportation, says the crash was due to operator error, noting the driver — who was in the midst of their first week on the job — had accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the break.State records show vehicles owned by the company, also known as PTB Services, failed most of their recent inspections: 2024: 52 passed, 55 failed2025: 40 passed, 47 failed2026: 1 passed, 6 failedBoyle insists those failures are often corrected and reinspected on the same day."We also want to clarify that the inspection statistics referenced in publicly available reports do not represent the entirety of our operating fleet nor do they indicate that vehicles remained in service after failing inspections," Boyle said. "All buses currently transporting students for PTB Services possess the required inspection certification and comply with applicable state requirements."Police are still investigating the crash.