MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis Area Transit Authority has 38 malfunctioning buses that were taken out of service long before completing their anticipated life spans.

The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/20Q6yPd) reports that the buses sit in a parking lot behind the authority's maintenance facility, where they've been for years due to chronic breakdowns.

Federal guidelines mandate that buses travel at least 400,000 miles before being retired. Many Memphis buses never got halfway to that.

CEO Ron Garrison says the transit agency is "trying to make the best of what we have."

The authority has requested $5 million from the Memphis City Council to buy new buses.