THERE IS a problem with the area's buses, and I'm not referring to the fact that these exhaust-spewing behemoths were shortsightedly selected to displace our fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly streetcars years ago.

The problem that has now surfaced is maintenance, both improper and lacking, that has resulted in 18 buses actually losing their rear wheels while in operation since August, eight of them since April 20.

Think about that.

Every month, for nearly a year, an average of nearly two buses have experienced wheel loss while in service on our streets, and since April 20 it has been one a week. Here is a litany of what we have learned since the recent public disclosure of this alarming record:

The acting head of the Maryland Transit Administration, Virginia L. White, now on voluntary leave of absence, did not begin an investigation of the problem until after the 10th accident.

Ms. White excluded the agency's safety department from the investigation.

A lubricant that can cause lug nuts to come loose was used on some wheels contrary to manufacturer's recommendations, a routine apparently defended by Ms. White in response to a safety officer's report.

MTA mechanics have been using maintenance manuals that are at least 10 years old.

The central Bush Street bus maintenance garage is run by Ms. White's husband, Frank White.

These embarrassing facts arise in a region where worsening traffic congestion and downtown parking problems are compounded by limited light rail and subway system alternatives. Buses remain the prevailing means of public transportation. It seems it would be reasonable to expect that the buses would be safe. That the wheels should stay on would not seem too much to ask.

We should also be able to presume that the loss of one wheel in operation would cause the MTA to investigate, determine if it were an isolated incident or something systematic and protect against re-occurrences. Waiting eight months and nine additional accidents later is patently absurd.

Moreover, if we are funding a safety department within the agency, it seems axiomatic that it should be used to review repeated occurrences of a phenomenon that so fundamentally impacts public safety.

It would be of further comfort to be assured that the rudimentary application of manufacturer's recommendations and other industry standards is the rote of the agency's maintenance procedures rather than something about which there is any debate.

Similarly, it might be useful to have up-to-date maintenance manuals that concern the vehicles, equipment and methods being used currently rather than what existed a decade or more ago.

But most disturbingly, we should expect that issues of public safety be addressed without the inherent conflicts that arise when a public official is responsible for the actions of a spouse or other relative. Frank White should not be in a position where his actions are subject to the supervision and judgment of his wife. I like a little objectivity in the analysis of public safety issues. In fact, I like a lot of objectivity, something that is simply impossible in the context of a familial relationship.

For our investment of tax dollars in transportation, we should be receiving a far greater return than this. The wheels seem to be coming off at the MTA figuratively as well as literally.

Raymond Daniel Burke is a partner in a downtown law firm.