Last Tuesday morning, Samoa News had the dubious pleasure of driving behind this bus (DOE #105) coming from the east side, heading into the town area.

The thick cloud of white smoke was so bad that at times, those driving behind had to stop and keep their distance, because the smoke made it impossible for anyone to see oncoming traffic, pedestrians, etc.

What a serious safety issue!

Samoa News attempted to contact the proper officials at the Department of Education —  who oversee the local school bus fleet — and there was never a straight answer, only a slew of different phone numbers to call and extensive wait times when we called, only to be told to call back.

One person who answered the phone said the smoke is not a 'problem' as all of the school buses emit the same thing and this is 'a common occurrence'.

(The new buses, Samoa News was told when they first arrived on island, use a different type of fuel, and the “white smoke” is one of it’s side effects. However, the amount coming out — the billowing thick cloud — may not be ‘typical’ of emissions.)

Samoa News spoke to an officer with the Department of Public Safety who said the issue with the smoke should be taken seriously. "Anything that can obstruct your view of the road puts a lot of innocent people, including yourself, at risk," he said. "Something needs to be done or unnecessary accidents — even deaths — may occur."

Samoa News was referred to the DPS Office of Motor Vehicles where vehicle inspections are carried out.

No answer or explanation could be obtained from the OMV as of press time yesterday.

It is unclear if school buses are even required to undergo inspections and if they do, whether or not they are conducted by the OMV or by DOE.

Those who are addressing the issue are confused and apparently, so are the folks at DOE.