ARKANSAS, USA — As dangerous temperatures continue this week, some students and bus drivers are feeling the heat on their rides home from school.
Alan Wilbourn with Fayetteville Public Schools says the district has over 30 bus routes with air conditioning.
“As our buses rotate through the fleet and we get new buses, of course, all of the new buses are air conditioned,” Wilbourn said. “And so over time, every bus in the fleet will be air conditioned, but it does take time.”
In Springdale, Trent Jones says it’s a similar story.
“We’re committed to phasing in air-conditioned bus units over time. It just takes time,” Jones said.
For the buses that don’t have air conditioning, the districts say there are other ways they’re working to keep things cool.
“One of the main things we're doing is encouraging our schools in the afternoons when it is the hottest to please get the students on the bus and get those buses out on their routes as quickly as possible without delay, so they don't have to sit in an un-conditioned bus,” Wilbourn said.
That’s part of the reason why Springdale implemented a new bus system this year, which Jones says makes everything faster. He says with the new system, none of the routes are more than 30 minutes long.
As they continue to navigate the heat, Jones says the school wants to work with parents to do what is best for their children.
“If you are worried about the heat, if you are worried about bus rides, help work with us to maybe find other modes of transportation,” Jones said. “Parents are welcome to come pick up their kids. Parents are welcome to organize with their principals to have other family members or something to organize carpooling. We're all just looking for solutions to try to get through this really, really hot weather that we're all going through.”
In the meantime, Wilbourn says they’ll do all they can to keep the buses cool.
“It’s temporary. It's something we just have to get through the next couple of days,” Wilbourn said.
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