City Awarded Pact for 837 Buses. Despite Defects Found in Vehicle
NYC Transit Authority documents show that authority signed $89 million contract in March 1979 for 837 new-model buses from Grumman Flxible Industries although numerous defects were discovered more than 3 months earlier in sample bus sent to city for testing on express routes; inspection reportedly disclosed that test sample suffered multiple cracks in weldings and fractures in suspension system; authority surface-transit division executive officer Hyman Feldman wrote memo on April 16 outlining problems with sample bus, which were first noticed during December 1978 inspection; authority senior executive officer John G deRoos signed contract with company 3 days later; deRoos reported to authority in May 1979 that problems with bus were result of poor quality control and not design defect; authority public affairs director Arthur G Perfall comments; bus illus (L)
